China - DO NOT...

  • DO NOT engage in any criminal activity* (Murder, human trafficking, any drug related offences)
  • DO NOT talk about uncomfortable or Politically Sensitive Topics
  • DO NOT disrespect the Customs of Minority Groups and Temples
  • DO NOT make close personal/body contact as like touch, hug, lock arms, back slap
  • DO NOT click fingers or whistle
  • DO NOT put your feet on a desk or a chair
  • DO NOT expect the toilet paper in the public restrooms
  • DO NOT flush toilet paper in public restrooms 
  • DO NOT keep your hands in your lap or ask someone to pass food
  • DO NOT reject the food if some one offers you
  • DO NOT ignore Chopsticks etiquette rules* 
  • DO NOT ignore Handshake etiquette*
  • DO NOT leave a tip

 

  • DO NOT send text messages containing sexual content

 

  • DO NOT access to any kind of adult/sexual content whatsoever while using China’s internet (punishment by 3 years in prison)

 

  • DO NOT obey the rules of China’s internet*

 

  • DO NOT give a clock or umbrella as a gift 
  • DO NOT rely on your credit card*
  • DO NOT wear a green hat, which means to have an unfaithful wife/partner
  • DO NOT use the unlicensed transportation (unless you skilled in Chinese)
  • DO NOT address people by their first name first
  • DO NOT accept a compliment graciously
  • DO NOT humiliate/ point out a mistake in front of others or yell at someone
  • DO NOT drink alcohol without offering toast first
  • DO NOT flip the fish after finishing one side – bad luck
  • DO NOT show up empty handed and accept any gifts or food/drinks without refusing them first 
  • DO NOT forget to make the offer at least twice. Chinese are very polite in receiving gifts therefore  they can refuse the gift a few times

 

*Most common crimes – Human and sex trafficking 

*1)Rude and impolite to pick food from the central dishes with your chopsticks

2)tapping your bowl or the table with it

3) To pass food from one set of chopsticks to another

*1)Older people should be greeted with a handshake before others

2)A weak handshake is preferred

3)The bow is from the shoulders and should be greater if the person you are greeting has a higher status than you.

*Bond your credit card to your WeChat account, however the issue could be of not having the Chinese bank account to where money should be transferred. Dont worry activate a Swapsy account before leaving home to trade currency from PayPal/Zelle to WeChat(which is the most popular chatting and payment app in China.), and vice versa.  

*Country use filtered version of internet, therefore to access certain network resources you should use private network data, which must be obtain before coming to the country.

 

Hong Kong - DO NOT... 

  • DO NOT engage in any criminal activity* (Murder, human trafficking, any drug related offences)
  • DO NOT  ask on the nation English language proficiency*
  • DO NOT block the left side of the walkway/escalator
  • DO NOT hop a fence or trespass for the photo without respecting and appreciate the heritage
  • DO NOT stay on the beaten track- city centre and soho area (hit up some of the Hong Kong Islands)
  • DO NOT be without an Octopus card*

 

  • DO NOT expect to use your credit card in the taxi (have cash with you)*

 

  • DO NOT use taxi to get everywhere*

 

  • DO NOT buy things especially electronics at the Temple Street market- it is junk 
  • DO NOT skip the street food
  • DO NOT skip the cool bars (called for the world’s best bars and bartenders)

 

*Most Common crime – larceny, vandalism, burglaries, drug offences, sex trafficking.

*Hong Kong was a British colony for about 150 years so dont you worry the basic English is indeed practiced/spoken often in this place.

*Cash  is the way to go in Hong Kong taxi ! The smaller the note the better it is for the driver – no higher than 100 bill note!

*Taxi is not the only transportation in Hong Kong and can be very difficult to catch during shift change hours which is often from 3p m to 4 pm. If you need to get to or from the airport then Airport Express train is very convenient and quick.

Japan - DO NOT...

  • DO NOT engage in any criminal activity* (Murder, human trafficking, any drug related offences)
  • DO NOT Ignore Chopstick etiquette rules
  • DO NOT Ignore the Queuing system , so make sure that you don’t skip the the line! 
  • DO NOT Wear shoes inside
  • DO NOT Eating on the go
  • DO NOT To leave food on your plate (at home or at a restaurant)

 

  • DO NOT Bringing walkie-talkies on a holiday
  • DO NOT Staring/ making long eye contact

 

  • DO NOT Getting into a bathtub before showering first …
  • DO NOT Blowing your nose in public 
  • DO NOT Leave a tip
  • DO NOT Cross your ankle over your knee
  • DO NOT Talk on your cell phone on the train
  • DO NOT Talk and Laugh loudly
  • DO NOT Putting ice cream in mailboxes
  • DO NOT Splashing pedestrians with rainwater when you drive*
  • DO NOT Take out the trash too early*
  • DO NOT Sort your trash by 3Rs – recycling, reducing, and reusing

 

*Most common crimes – larceny and negligent homicide 

*For splashing someone driver can be fined up to ¥7,000= USD66.24. If you were splashed snap a photo of a car! 

*Eco-friendly lifestyle requires you to take care of your trash and leave it for pick up truck at the designed dates and strictly not the night or more before as there is a possibility of different danger – raccoons rummage through trash and fire hazard.

Vietnam - DO NOT... 

  • DO NOT engage in any criminal activity* (Murder, human trafficking, any drug related offences)
  • DO NOT drink Roadside coffee
  • DO NOT touch anyone on the head
  • DO NOT get involved with illegal drugs
  • DO NOT pointing your feet at another person or sacred item
  • DO NOT open hand, palm up — this is used for dogs calling (point your palm face down instead)
  • DO NOT disrespect and give no preference to the eldest person
  • DO NOT hugging, holding hands, and especially kissing in public
  • DO NOT touching the opposite sex
  • DO NOT wear short clothes that could reveal more of your body parts*

 

  • DO NOT have a hat when visiting a sacred site

 

  • DO NOT eat before the oldest will begin to eat 

 

  • DO NOT leave food on your plate 

 

  • DO NOT pick your teeth*
  • DO NOT keeping your shoes on when entering a home 
  • DO NOT drink the tap water 
  • DO NOT stand with your arms crossed

 

*Most common crimes – corruption and bribery

* Avoid wearing tight-fitting, overly short attire and women should wear a shirt with sleeves and shorts that comes to the knee.

*to pick your teeth cover your mouth with your hand.

Thailand - DO NOT...

  • DO NOT engage in any criminal activity* (Murder, human trafficking, any drug related offences)
  • DO NOT ignore the temple etiquette* 
  • DO NOT use hard handshake – prefer to bow with your hands together up to your chest.
  • DO NOT touch people’s heads

 

  • DO NOT step on the Thai money 
  • DO NOT touch the Monks
  • DO NOT take photos with captured animals

 

  • DO NOT get involved with illegal drugs
  • DO NOT Pointing your feet at another person or sacred item
  • DO NOT Disrespect the Royal Family
  • DO NOT Drink the tap water

 

*Most common crimes – corruption and bribery

*Prohibited to wear shoes in a temple; visit the temple with short clothes; take Buddha images out of the country.

Singapore - DO NOT... 

  • DO NOT engage in any criminal activity* (Murder, human trafficking, any drug related offences)
  • DO NOT Talk about Religious or Politically Sensitive Topics
  • DO NOT Cross your ankle over your knee
  • DO NOT Pointing your feet at another person or putting your feet on the table
  • DO NOT Pointing an index finger at someone 

 

  • DO NOT Do drugs or having drugs in your system before stepped foot in this land

 

  • DO NOT Smoking outside the designated areas (fine up to $200 fine

 

  • DO NOT importing/bringing chewing gum with you – can be bought from a doctor or registered pharmacist
  • DO NOT eating on trains or buses (fine up to $500)
  • DO NOT bringing durian (south east asian fruit) on the public transport (MRT) – it stinks
  • DO NOT forget to flush in the public washroom
  • DO NOT walk naked at home (close your curtains)
  • DO NOT incautiously watching internet pornography/adults content movies (fine up to $2000 or jail)
  • DO NOT spit or litter (fine up to $1000 or forced community service works) 
  • DO NOT connect to unsecured WiFi
  • DO NOT leave a tip
  • DO NOT give gifts without knowing the cultural manners* 
  • DO NOT take taxi ( Its quite expensive! so take it only if its necessary since the city’s transportation system is very efficient)

 

*Most common crimes – fraud and scams 

*Diversity in Singaporean culture is really seen whenever it comes to giving gifts. Wrapping up a gift in white can be misunderstood as well as clocks and handkerchiefs or flowers- symbolises mourning/ funerals in China.  Alcohol/pigskin/leather goods for Indian Singaporean is considered offensive. Use your right or your both hands to pass the parcel. Exchange gifts happens on the party and not when greeting someone. Its common to not open gifts in front of a giver and dont forget to refuse a gift a couple of times before graciously accepting it and grabbing the gift…

Malasya - DO NOT... 

  • DO NOT engage in any criminal activity* (Murder, human trafficking, any drug related offences)
  • DO NOT bring/carry drugs into the country*  
  • DO NOT bring Durian to the Hotel
  • DO NOT speak freely about local politics
  • DO NOT use an unmetered taxi 
  • DO NOT have shoes when you enter a home

 

  • DO NOT trigger the racial tension
  • DO NOT give bad comments to the local cuisine 

 

  • DO NOT walk at night alone
  • DO NOT careless about pickpockets when you shop
  • DO NOT negotiate the road to take with the driver

 

*Most common crimes – petty theft and sex trafficking

*No drugs are allowed inside the country even if it cannabis for its the medical purposes- could cause a serious jail penalties. 

South Korea - DO NOT... 

  • DO NOT ignore Chopsticks etiquette rules
  • DO NOT ignore the marked seats in the public transportation*
  • DO NOT using one hand while giving the gift or business card (need to use both hands)
  • DO NOT disrespect elders 

 

  • DO NOT drink directly in front of elders (turn your face away while drinking)

 

  • DO NOT drink alone

 

  • DO NOT wearing skimpy clothes 
  • DO NOT flushing toilet paper down the drain
  • DO NOT mix different type of trash 

 

*Most common crimes – theft (pickpocketing, purse snatching)

*Seats are marked for the elderly, disable and pregnant women.

NEPAL - DO NOT... 

  • DO NOT engage in any criminal activity* (Murder, human trafficking, any drug related offences)
  • DO NOT use left hand when giving gifts or money to Nepalese people
  • DO NOT forget to take a business card with the phone number and address of the place you stay*
  • DO NOT drink fresh juice on streets and unboiled water

 

  • DO NOT travel without the required medicine and vaccinations*
  • DO NOT forget about probiotics*
  • DO NOT forget about acclimatisation period (3-5 days acclimatisation period for the body to get used to the altitude)

 

  • DO NOT forget about yaks*
  • DO NOT leave the tourist zone at night*  
  • DO NOT buy the Nepalese knife “kukri” (curved knife which is Nepalese army weapon) as souvenir to bring with you on the plane. (more likely cause problems at customs with boarder control officers outside the Nepal : knife would be confiscated and recognised as a cold weapon*  
  • DO NOT think bikes are safer than the taxi* 
  • DO NOT forget that side traffic in Nepal is left-handed

 

*Most common crimes – corruption and bribery

* Unfortunately tourists often get lost in the chaos of the Nepal’s  labyrinth.  Business card of your hotel will help you to return if you show it to the taxi driver. Be aware to have a full address of your hotel as there are two hotels with similar names located far away from each other – “Travel Inn” and “Traveler Inn”.

* There could be no substitute to your usual medicine so make sure you have all the medicine you need with you (in your first aid travel kit).

According to WHO (World Health Organisation) Nepal is excluded from the list of countries with mandatory vaccination against yellow fever, but recommendations worth to consider whether you were vaccinated against rubella, diphtheria (every 10 years), hepatitis A and B, and typhoid fever.

*Important to know that at high altitude bacteria dies quickly because of not enough oxygen, which is the main reason of all kinds of disorders.

You aid kit should have probiotics that would help your microflora to sustain this high altitudes –  Everest Base Camp is above 5,000 m of altitude to be there you need to take probiotics regularly. 

*Yaks or Bos Grunniens (named regarding the grunting sounds they are making). Yaks may not notice people around or next to them since they dont have a good visual and hearing perception. Quite often tourist might see yak caravans so be aware of this 400 kg animal! Stay calm and if yak is in front of you its better to stop and let the animals pass you.

Also on the trails there are could be yak’s excrements that dried up and mixed with dust from which some travellers could experience trouble breathing.

*Leave the tourist zone/Tamel where all the guests stay could be dangerous especially at night. Locals will warn you to avoid certain areas and it is better to follow their recommendations.  Many places where is a black market, which is related to mafia activities and some rituals are kept away from foreigners. 

*“kukri” curved knife is  well- known and still part of the Nepalese army weapons : roughly 40 cm/15 inches long and 600 gram weighs. It is available for tourists to buy and they are happy to bring such souvenir back home if only it wouldn’t be so risky once coming back to your country. Nepal’s knife is not the problem to export but once landed in your country you might face many serious violations against the law. Some tourists tried to bring home that knife “kukri”or similar gifts and instead of showing off in front of their friends they went to court to prove to their innocence and barbecue purpose of this souvenir.

*At fist glance you may think that bikes are the main transport in Nepal. Local drivers follow their own rules and beliefs in their immortality which cause automobile chaos. Take a taxi to feel more safe (payment based on taximeter).