8 popular scams to avoid in Vietnam for foreigners
Nov 25, 2019
2076 Views
By Hoa Do
As you know, the scam is not strange action at some places in Vietnam. It is a bad action that everyone should avoid. Especially, It is popular in several tourist attractions because those places have a lot of foreign visitors who don't know clearly about Vietnam. It is not encouraged but still happening in some places in Vietnam. This article, we will list some popular scams to avoid in Vietnam for foreigners as below
1. Restaurants that don't display the price
Vietnam is famous for several traditional foods that attract foreign visitors. They can be served like street foods or foods in restaurants. However, with the same dish, they can charge a different price. Some places can charge a very high price for visitors. In this case, you have to pay for your meal with an uncomfortable feeling. In order to avoid this case, you only should eat at the places where are public the price on the menu.
2. Street vendors photo scam
At tourist attractions, you will see several street vendors along the street with the burden street of fruits. They will invite you to take some photos with their props, the force you to pay a tip as soon as you are done. If not, they will follow you until you buy something or give the money. Another scam is some children pretending to be orphans, or disable to begging the money from visitors.
3. Entrance fee to free attractions
There are some attractions in Vietnam from the Buddhist shrines or colonial structure to geologic structures such as Ha Long Bay or Sand Dunes in Mui Ne,... In these places, there are some strangers telling you to pay the entrance fee to visit but it is free.
In order to avoid this case, you have to research the information for your destinations. Most Buddhist Temples are free to enter and donations are welcomed
4. Fake silk or pearls
If you visit the local markets, you will see the density of stalls selling fake designer goods such as bags, watches, wallets,.. but they can tell you that those are authentic goods or you may get lucky when buying it. For this case, you should refer to Vietnamese friends (if any) or research some tips for going shopping in Vietnam. Especially, they can change your items during wrapping it so you should pay attention.
5. Hotel booking scam
This scam is quite rare but you also know to avoid in advance. There are some hotels advertise with the low room rates but when you book for a room, it can be full and you can be paid much more for other rooms or some cases, they can require an extra fee for your staying in their hotel and refuse to return your passport if you don't pay it. In order to avoid this case, you need to book a reliable website.
6. Taxis without meters
Taxis are the best public transportation that you will feel most comfortable. However, you can see some unscrupulous taxi drivers who take you to somewhere without using the meters or they can drive across the longer route to get much money from guests. In order to avoid this case, you should choose the trusted companies such as Grab, Vinasun,...
With details of
some popular scams in Vietnam in this article, we hope that you will have great preparation for your trip to Vietnam. For more details related to Vietnam tourism. Please contact us via email:
[email protected] for more details
Have a nice trip!
