How to play at a local karaoke in Saigon — dice, cards, the toast, and one tip misunderstanding

Music runs from start to finish: upbeat tracks played loud, with games and toasts going on over the top. Pick up the microphone if you want to sing; if not, join the game at the table.

Games happen only if you want them. A quiet drink and a conversation is fine too. In practice, though, the hostesses at your table will usually suggest a game first, because it lifts the room. The rules are simple enough to pick up after watching one round.

In Vietnamese it is xí ngầu. Everyone shakes dice in a cup, turns it over, and peeks only at their own.

Bluffing dice is essentially liar's dice: players take turns calling how many of a given number are on the whole table, and anyone who doesn't believe the call shouts to open the cups. Whoever is wrong drinks. A straight face wins more rounds than luck does.

Big or small is the easy version: guess whether the total of the dice is high or low. It needs no explanation, which makes it the usual first game with new guests.

Red or black: guess the colour of the next card. It's fifty-fifty, so everyone wins sometimes and everyone drinks sometimes.

Higher or lower: guess whether the next card beats the one showing. Get a run right and you pass the deck on. There is always one person who misses several in a row, and that is when the room is loudest.

Rock-paper-scissors is oẳn tù tì. No equipment, no rules to explain, the loser drinks. It is the simplest game on the table and somehow the one that lasts longest.

When glasses go up, everyone shouts "một, hai, ba, dô!" — one, two, three, drink. You will be saying it yourself by the second round.

If you don't drink much, say so at the start. Losing a round doesn't mean finishing your glass; a sip of beer or a soft drink keeps the game just as fun.

Korean-run karaoke in Saigon tends to be composed and quiet. A local room is music, games, toasts and laughter all at once. Neither is better; it's a question of taste. If you want the Vietnamese version of a night out, this is it.

Our bill always includes the base tips: the madam and waiter tip of 1,500,000₫ per room, and 1,000,000₫ per hostess for three hours. They are charged automatically when you settle up, so there is nothing to hand over separately.

What happens is this: the games go well, someone looks after the table nicely, and a guest hands over some cash in the room to say thanks — then assumes the tipping is done. When the bill arrives with the base tips on it, it feels like being charged twice.

Money you hand over in the room is an extra tip. It does not count towards the base tip, which stays on the bill. For two guests and two hostesses, for example, the base tips on the bill come to 3,500,000₫. Anything you give in the room sits on top of that.

If in doubt, ask the manager before you hand anything over: "Is this separate from the base tip?"

An extra tip is never required. Service will not change much without one, and nobody will hint that you owe it.

What follows is not a rule, just advice from someone who has worked in this trade for years. If you want to tip extra, 100,000–200,000₫ at a time, given a few times through the night — after a won game, after a great song — works better than one large note. Most of the people working here do it for their living, and a little more makes them happier, which comes straight back into the mood of the room.

All tips, base or extra, are cash only. They are not covered by the 10% booking discount, carry no VAT, and do not appear on a red invoice. Everything else on the bill can go on a card (3.2% fee on Visa, 4% on Mastercard and AmEx).

You can see the full figure — room, drinks, tips and VAT — on the price list and in the calculator on our home page before you arrive.