'Indians not allowed'-the growing hate for the Indian tourist globally
“Indians not allowed.”
Never thought I’d see this in 2026.
But a traveller recently shared a photo of a restaurant in Da Nang with exactly that sign — and apparently, it’s not an isolated case.
I’m currently in Vietnam. I’ve lived here for over 2 years in the past, visited multiple times before that, and built relationships that feel like family.
But something has changed.
There was a time when Vietnamese people were deeply curious about — even fond of — Indian culture. Balika Vadhu was a big hit here; people have watched 3 idiots.
In fact if I look at Bengal, North East, some aspects of our culture are very similar.And Nehru and Ho Chi Minh connected-with a deep respect. Indians even protested during the US attack on Vietnam.
Today, the sentiment feels… different.
And it’s not just Vietnam.
Just last week in Cambodia, I came across multiple posts in expat groups calling out Indians and Pakistanis— and what stood out wasn’t just the posts , but the sheer uniform hatred in comments-from expats all across the world.
(I am not exaggerating-check Phnom Phenh expats group and recent posts on indians)
The perception shift is real. And it’s accelerating.
As someone who genuinely loves Vietnam, knows people who are like family and is an Indian- I don’t think we should blame locals.
We need to look inward.
Because the uncomfortable truth is:
A section of Indian travellers has built this reputation.
-Loud, disruptive behavior
-Lack of civic sense
-Disrespect towards personal space
-At times, inappropriate behavior towards women
- Even petty crime in the name of jugaad.
And lately, an aggressive need to display identity — religious or national — in public places by singing loudly.
Worse, our political affliation with ‘fatherland’-a country almost universally disliked doesn’t help either.
What’s worse?
This behavior is often by the $$$ folks too.
I’ve seen ultra-luxury Indian weddings here — budgets running into tens of crores — still disregarding basic courtesy. Music blasting into shared spaces, zero sensitivity to others around.
So clearly, money and education aren’t solving this.
-> At this point, it almost sounds absurd — but maybe it isn’t:
Should basic civic sense, cultural awareness, and behavior training be part of a certification test for getting a passport?
Because in nearly a decade of traveling across countries, I have never seen this level of consistent negative sentiment towards Indians.
This isn’t about outrage.
It’s about reflection.
If we don’t acknowledge it, we can’t fix it.
-Saurabh
https://www.linkedin.com/in/saurabhparmar/
I have lived for 4+ years as a digital nomad in Europe, SE Asia etc. Now, after a while, back in Vietnam.
Each country and travel experience is not just enriching personally but helps me understand these markets deeper.