‘Is this real’: Indian-American exec’s viral post on loud ‘aunties’ disrupting Vietnam cruise sparks civic sense debate

An Indian-American executive and investor named Deedy Das has ignited a heated online debate about Indians with civic sense, entitlement and public behaviour abroad. Das, a partner at Silicon Valley–based Menlo Ventures, described what he called an ‘insane experience’ while travelling on a cruise through Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its limestone karsts and tranquil waters. His post on X quickly went viral, drawing thousands of reactions ranging from sharp criticism to spirited defence of the women involved.

A quiet lounge, then ‘Bollywood wife energy’

In the post, Das recounted being aboard a Ha Long Bay cruise where the passengers were gathered in the vessel’s only public lounge to enjoy the scenery. According to the post, around ten families were seated quietly when ‘six aunties in their 50s’ entered the space. Das wrote that the group brought what he described as full ‘Bollywood wife’ energy, spending nearly an hour doing their makeup, taking ‘400 selfies’ and ‘talking at 90 decibels’ about their supposed acting careers.

He also alleged that the women boasted of personal connections with Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, despite, in his words, “never actually act[ing] in anything”, further in the post he added, “Think it can’t get worse….It gets worse.” According to the video, the women later began singing Bollywood songs at full volume inside the quiet lounge, leaving other passengers 'sitting in stunned silence' as other families exchanged disbelieving looks. Crew members also attempted to intervene, Deedy said, but were unsuccessful. ‘Aunties completely immune,’ Das wrote, attributing the episode to ‘main character syndrome.’

Social media backlash and pushback

The post triggered a flood of reactions on X. One user commented, “Aunties making sure India’s civic sense image stays low in front of the world.” Another wrote, “Money can’t buy civic sense. Entitlement is very real.” A third remarked, “wow, that sounds rough. some people really don’t get the room vibe at all.”

Others responded with sarcasm. “Noise-cancelling headphones + pretending to film a documentary about ‘human zoo behaviour’ would be my survival strategy,” one user quipped. Another said, “We Indians need to inculcate a mandatory civic sense subject starting from grade 1 now.”

However, not everyone sided with Das, several users criticised him for filming or describing fellow passengers without consent. “Look! I’m so civilised. Recording others without their consent,” one wrote. Another commented, “Get a life and let them live a life,” while a third added, “The world won’t run according to you.”