Podcaster Blames North Indian Tourists For 'Bad Behaviour' In Vietnam, Viral Post Sparks Debate On X

Podcaster Ravi Handa has sparked a heated debate after explaining why he chose to celebrate the New Year in Vietnam instead of Goa. In a candid post on X, Handa shared his frustration with the behaviour of some North Indian tourists, both in Goa and abroad, describing their actions as disruptive and inconsiderate.

Handa recounted several personal anecdotes, including an incident on a train in Vietnam where a group of Indian passengers loudly chanted "Bharat Mata ki Jai" upon spotting other Indian travellers.

He also shared experiences of queue-cutting and rude behaviour from some North Indian tourists. In another instance, Handa confronted someone who cut in line at a cable car station, only to be told, "Hum logon ke pass special pass hai" ("We have a special pass"). He decided not to escalate the situation to avoid conflict.

"I went to Vietnam for the new year break, and Goa was a choice. But not for the reasons any of you people on Twitter go bonkers about. Goa has too many North Indian tourists and they ruin the experience. Even in Vietnam, the only bad behaviour was from North Indian tourists," he wrote on X.

He continued, "A group literally started shouting Bharat Mata ki Jai in a train coach because they saw there were many Indians around. Another couple cut the line with the woman saying - 'Aage chalo. Yahan koi nahi rokega.' Saw people jumping queues multiple times. 100% of the times it was Indians. I even stopped one at the cable car line and he replied - 'Hum logon ke pass special pass hai.' Did not want to argue and gave up."

Handa's comments were in response to a tweet from Deepak Shenoy, founder of CapitalMind, who explained why he chose to spend the New Year in Thailand instead of Goa.

His post quickly went viral, igniting a lively discussion about cultural sensitivity, respect for others, and the behaviour of Indian tourists abroad. While some agreed with Handa's observations about the conduct of certain tourists, others accused him of intentionally provoking controversy. Many criticised his comments, alleging he was unfairly stereotyping and targeting North Indians.

One user wrote, "Stereotyping North Indians surely will get you two cents, Ravi, from like-minded people. But this mentality has only not allowed us to progress as a society, because everyone is busy in North vs South vs East vs West debate."

Another commented, "There was a group of North Indians on a train in Europe, making too much noise in the name of 'having a good time.' All the other Europeans were silent, and only these people were shouting."

A third added, "Absolutely spot on here Handa ji! Recent trip to NY JFK same experience even in the internal train system which transfers you from one terminal to another and there is absolutely no rush our brethren keep pushing and heckling other people, they jump queues and speak in loud voices and don't even notice people looking at them with disgust and disdain! I don't know when this will change!"