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One of the officials involved in the dispute in Nha Trang appeared to be armed. Photo: Sina.com

Dozens of Chinese tourists in furious row at airport after they were asked to tip border officials while leaving Vietnam

One traveller also allegedly assaulted after dispute involving about 100 tourists, according to news website report

A video of a row involving about 100 Chinese tourists, who were furious after some were asked to tip officials at an airport in Vietnam when they were leaving, has been widely circulated on the internet, according to a news website.

At least one Chinese tourist was allegedly assaulted during the incident, the report said.

The video, apparently filmed on a mobile phone, showed the Chinese travellers yelling “Chinese, rising up!” at several uniformed officials at an airport in Nha Trang, a coastal resort in southern Vietnam, Thecover.cn reported.

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The Chinese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh confirmed in a statement it had received reports from Chinese citizens who claimed they were involved in a physical dispute with airport officials on Monday night, the report said.

The consulate said it had carried out urgent negotiations with the local authorities and urged the Chinese tourists to “rationally protect their rights and collect relevant evidence”.

“The Chinese nationals involved have safely returned home,” the statement was quoted as saying.

A witness told the news website that the conflict arose when some Chinese tourists refused to pay tips to border staff.

“A man in front of the line was asked to pay tips by Vietnamese border agents,” said an unnamed woman witness, and the Chinese man responded “no, no money”.

The witness claimed the official first began to tell the man to leave in Chinese, then, unexpectedly, slapped the table and began to curse in Vietnamese, which quickly irritated the Chinese tourists.

Another witness, who was allegedly charged a 230 yuan (HK$276) tip at the border on departure, told the news website that her husband was struck with an electric baton and handcuffs when he was trying to film the scene.

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The case has sparked heated discussion online with many people in China complaining they had been charged tips at border checkpoints and crossings. Some called for a boycott of charges that appeared to target Chinese tourists.

“I don’t understand why we should give tips to customs officials as they are all public servants. How can they ask for tips?” said one internet user.

However, the report cited an anonymous Chinese tour agent as saying that the tips were not targeted at Chinese tourists. “It’s a misunderstanding because the Chinese are a major source of tourists in Southeast Asia,” the agent was quoted as saying.

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