Industrialist Harsh Goenka recently sparked a debate on civic sense and public responsibility as he shared a viral video from an airport in Vietnam which showed a group of Indian travellers sitting on the terminal floor to eat food together. The video quickly grabbed attention online, drawing sharp criticism, with users pointing out that airport terminals are shared public spaces meant for international travellers, and turning them into ‘picnic spots’ creates inconvenience and litter.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Goenka noted that while Vietnam has turned into a favourite holiday spot for travellers from India, such actions risk making them “unpopular” abroad.
“Vietnam has become a favourite new destination for Indian travellers. But if we turn their airports into picnic spots, spreading food and litter, we risk becoming very unpopular tourists. When will we learn to travel with civic sense?” the caption of the video read.
Also read | ‘Another CEO Has Cheated’: Social Media Reacts To Jensen Huang’s Affair Admission
Watch the video here:
Vietnam has become a favourite new destination for Indian travellers. But if we turn their airports into picnic spots, spreading food and litter, we risk becoming very unpopular tourists. When will we learn to travel with civic sense? 😮 https://t.co/pCSC63GHRH
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) November 7, 2026
Social media reactions
The post gained over 435,000 views and nearly 6,000 likes. His remarks opened up a wider conversation online. “This problem can be solved easily. Just identify them, cancel their passports and give it good publicity. Indians behave only when there are consequences. They dare not do this nonsense in Singapore,” one user wrote in the comment section, suggesting how this issue can be tackled.
Also read | At 91, This Track Star Is Still Breaking World Records, Inspiring Many: ‘Wonderful Feeling’
“A trip is not about photos. It’s about tasting local food, understanding local culture, and talking to local people. What is the point of travelling 3200 km with home-cooked food? Travel to explore, not to carry home with you,” another user shared their perspective, noting that people must explore the local food instead of packing home-cooked food.
“People can eat food they brought from home at the airport. In Indian culture, people carry home-cooked food with them when travelling. According to me, if there is no littering and the airport is not too crowded, then there is no harm in eating there,” a third user defended it, saying there’s no harm in bringing home-cooked food, but it must not cause chaos.
Source: www.ndtv.com
