We have just returned from Vietnam and Cambodia, entering Siem Reap from Saigon (or Ho Chi Minh City), and leaving the same way for Sydney, Australia.

On both entering and leaving, my partner, who is Vietnamese born, was asked for “tips” by the immigration officers. I am Malaysian born and the immigration officer who “served” me mumbled something that I could not hear. I asked him to repeat himself and he said something about being Malaysian. I told him that I was Malaysian born but am now Australian. He was also in possession of my passport so he would have known that. He then asked me to look into the camera for the photo and my passport was stamped and returned.

My partner, on the other hand, was not so lucky. He could not believe his ears so the officer kept repeating “tips” whilst rubbing his thumb and fingertips together. He told the officer that he did not have any money left except for Vietnamese dong and he did not want to produce his US dollars. He ended up giving the officer 20,000 dong, an equivalent of about US$1.00. Hopefully, all the zeroes had confused him. My partner’s passport was returned. The worry was that if he didn't give any money, he would not be allowed into the country.

We were travelling with a Caucasian American friend of ours and he had no trouble going in or out of Cambodia.

On departure, the same thing happened again. This time, however, my partner was adamant that he was not going to pay them a single cent. We had to pay a departure tax of US$25 and the receipt was stapled onto our boarding passes. When my partner was asked for a “tip” again, he told the officer that he had already paid and showed him the boarding pass. The officer said that that was not it and asked my partner for a “tip” repeatedly. Each time, my partner said that he had already paid. I had been staring at that officer and my partner, watching all that was happening. The immigration officer that was “serving” me, together with his supervisor, then told me to take my hat off and to look into camera so that I could not witness what was happening.

Meanwhile, our friend was already processed and stood in front of the counters where we both were. Once he stood there and watched the proceedings, my partner’s passport was stamped and returned.

We went in and we watched the immigration counter for the next 30 minutes. Almost every Asian going through had to pay the officers a “tip”, including a group of about 15 Korean tourists. The immigration officer that "served" my partner took their passports and walked off with them whilst the group stood there in bewilderment. Their tour guide got them into a huddle in a corner and then the wallets came out.

However, Caucasians had no problems at all. So, anyone who is Asian born, no matter where you live, beware of going to Cambodia. We have both been living in Australia for almost 32 years and have been Australian citizens for almost as long.

We have friends who are Asian born and Australian citizens, and their children are Australian born, who went to Cambodia two years ago. They ended up paying US$40 each for their entry visa at a port entry.

Apply for the visa online rather than when you arrive. They will still get you at the passport control but make a stand. Make them repeat themselves loudly in front of everyone or repeat loudly what they said - you are deaf and/or that you do not understand what they want. You have already paid your US$20 (entry visa cost on arrival, US$25 online) to enter the country and US$25 to leave. You should not have to pay any more to line the pockets of corrupt officials.

There is a complaints box at the Siem Reap airport on departure and that was completely full. Take note of the officer’s badge number and name and report him. As the whole lot of them appear to be corrupt, from the supervisor down, chances are that the complaints box might just be emptied and thrown away.

We have written to the Cambodian ambassador in Australia and to the Cambodian Foreign Minister, who also happens to be the Deputy Prime Minister, as well as to our Foreign Affairs Minister, to voice our disgust at our treatment at the hands of the Cambodian immigration officers.

This kind of corruption will eventually hurt the tourist industry of Cambodia, particularly that of Siem Reap, where Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are located. Tourism is all they have in Siem Reap. There will not be any repeat tourists from Asians if this kind of corruption continues.

The only way to eliminate corruption like this is to make it public in all forms of media and to write to the Cambodian embassy. If enough people stand up to these officials, hopefully, this kind of disgraceful and disgusting behaviour will cease, as it has in Vietnam.

We have only seen Siem Reap but we will never return to Cambodia again after this. This is a pity as the people that we have met in Siem Reap are gentle and rely on the tourist trade for their livelihood, and Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, as well as Preah Khan, Ta Prom, Banteay Kdei and Banteay Srei are nothing short of spectacular.

Unfortunately, corruption exists in Cambodia and it is actually almost accepted as a way of doing business. A few years afo when we were driving from SR to Tonle Sap, there was an unofficial roadblock on the road. Our Cambodian driver stopped, and I saw him say a few words to an official in uniform and then take out some bills and hand them to him. After we drove off, I asked what the money was for. He said simply, "coruuption payment."

Yes, sadly, corruption is rife in Cambodia as it is in a great many countries. One of our regulars here who lives part-time in Siem Reap recounted being asked for tips at immigration (and she is Caucasian). She pretended not to understand what they were saying, smiled, and they let her go. Indeed, that is what I have done in other countries in similar circumstances.

I'll preface my remark by saying I am in no way condoning the actions of the immigration officers, but these are medicore paying jobs and world travel is generally beyond their financial reach. Seeking tips from travellers who they percieve as much better off than them is justified to them.

I agree with Jaya. If your wage was $40US a month and you saw wealthy tourists flying in everyday wouldn't you be tempted? The nearest I've come to corruption was having my tuk tuk waved over by the police. When the cop saw there was a westerner in the back he waved us on. My driver grinned at me and said I'd saved him some money.

I would not bypass Cambodia because of a bit of minor corruption though. I suspect it occurs in all (or most) countries.

Sorry to hear of your experience however, this is a fact of life in SE Asia generally. The de facto unofficial entry /exit fee and mostly land borders in Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia/Thailand is $1. Not a great amount in the greater scheme of things but irritating nonetheless. My own experience however is that these border officials rip everyone off equally without fear or favour, regardless of race. ethnicity etc. I, a Caucasian as you put it, have certainly have experienced this all over SEA so I doubt that it is really aimed at Asians. Sometime I have refused on principal, other times I have paid up on the basis that they probably need a $ more than I. Adopting an air of disinterested assertiveness usually does the trick.

There are a lot worse examples of corruption in other parts of the world. We lived in Sierra Leone for a while where I was stoped by the police for "walking around Freetown on a Sunday morning" and was told by the policeman that I would have to pay a fine of $100 or I would be arrested! I later found out that the police had not been paid since the change of government 6 month previously.

Writing to the government I suspect, will have little effect as Cambodia is renowned for the corruption of its government at the highest level.

Try driving in Costa Rica. The police will stop you claiming you were speeding. Either you pay the ticket at the post office at a highly inflated rate or pay them directly.

Corruption is everywhere unfortunately.

This is an interesting aspect of travel that hasn't really been discussed much here.

Probably a lot of advice can be shared. Even if you cannot avoid the tips, just being aware ahead of time can be helpful!

I guess we were not expecting this once we paid for our visas, as most of the stories we had heard was for extra money for visas and not at the passport control. We were probably too naive, not having experienced this kind of corruption at any airport before, despite travelling to Russia, South America and China. We felt singled out as we had observed none of the Caucasians had to pay a bribe. They should have asked for a bribe from everyone or have a box for the "slush fund" so there was no discrimination ;-)

Yes, I can understand that the wages in Cambodia, as are in most third world countries, are extremely low, so the temptation is high. I would be more than happy to officially pay more for visas (US$25 is actually quite cheap when you compare it to some other countries) and departure taxes as long as it went to the people who needed it. But, as we all know, that is not going to happen.

When we bought anything, we didn't even bother to bargain as we felt that a few dollars here and there wasn't going to make much difference to us. The people there needed it more than us.

I guess government corruption cheesed us off more than actually having to pay a little more for souvenirs and other goods, as there is appeared to be the threat of not being able to get into the country (especially if you are on a tour or you have paid for accommodation) or not being able to leave (which is worse). This kind of intimidation is a bit frightening as they are government officials.

As a postscript, we have heard back from the Australian Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They would like more anecdotal information such as this, so that it can be placed onto the government website as a travel warning. So far, there is nothing about corruption problems, just about personal safety. See http://www.smarttraveller.gov.au.

We have not heard back from the Cambodian government, and I guess, it was too optimistic to expect one, as Crellston had said. Better to try than not.

The salary of those officials are too low that they can't survive with their salary, so corruption is very common in this less developing country. After the war for many years and some French influence during the French control too.

Sad to hear of your experience. Although I'd agree with the above about the facts that history and wars are partially the cause of low living conditions in developing and less developed countries, I personally think better transparency will help a lot in accelerating national economies (and there from improving local residents' lives), instead of creating favorable conditions for corruption.