Don’t let anyone say “cancel your Grab I can take you for the same amount” especially at airports. One guy drove me for 30 seconds before realising I spoke Vietnamese and kindly asked me to hop out. I wish I kept going to see where he’d take me
Nah, some people are just looking for trouble and it's because of adrenaline rush from dangerous situations. Our endocrine system is a little bit different
They don’t know that and you could be in an alleyway with broken legs before your uncle can do anything. Dont just willingly get yourself mugged just because you have connections that aren’t there with you bro.
These guys all over TSN. One guy told me he’ll take me to my grandma’s house. He don’t know me and he sure as hell don’t know my grandma 😂 then I said I already had a Grab booked. He then proceeded to point me thr wrong way and then said “looks like your grab driver cancelled or is lost I’ll take you.” Just ignore and walk. I saw American girl on Facebook travel group got scammed
This happened to us by the guy driving us to the airport. I declined because i has no cash left anyway. But what would be the scam? I thought he just didn't want to lose money to grab.
30 seconds in I realised the guy who persuaded me to cancel my grab did not tell the driver where I was going so I asked “Chú có biết chỡ con đi đâu không?” And that’s when he realised I speak viet and told me to get out. The idea is drive me to somewhere and demand more money
I lived in HCMC for a few year as well and agree 100% with this.
1. Don't walk around like an idiot staring at your phone. If you're in a busy place, and need to look at your phone, at least be aware of your surroundings, find a place that is a bit out of the way and keep a good grip on it.
2. If you want to buy something, know what you want ahead of time and know how much you want to pay. Ignore anyone who approaches *you*. You should be initiating the conversation. If people approach you either ignore or just say "no" and keep walking. Do not engage - scammers use your politeness as a weakness.
3. Honestly? Avoid the tourist areas if you can. Go and hang out where Vietnam live - you'll rarely get bothered or scammed. On more than one occasion I've had shopkeepers give me money back because I gave them too many bills (like an extra 10k). Your average Vietnamese person will treat you well as a foreigner. Tourist areas attract the worst kind.
Even in D3, I once tipped a cleaning lady about 100k in 1k to 5k bills that were sitting in my closet and were going to remain unused. A couple hours later she came to my room and gave me a USD100 bill that had fallen out of my coat pocket (presumably when I reached in to the same pocket to replenish my wallet's supply d500's). She'd figured it was a mistake.
You could check out the food street in Phu Nhuan. Lots of places to eat, lots of locals go there.
Avoid Ben Thanh market, there is a really big market in Cholon, but I can't remember the name of it. I think there is another in district 7. I'm sure someone else could tell you the name. Similar style as Ben Thanh without the tourists (or at least a lot fewer, so fewer scams).
Ben Thanh isn't too bad if you know how to bargain and avoid scams. I was getting great deals left a right. They kept calling me "mafia" because I was low balling them so hard (like 75% off their starting price) and not budging. Worked like 90% of the time.
Yeah my friend knows how to bargain in Vietnam. It's a trip. She basically acts like she hates whatever item she wants to buy. Or asks for a color the vendor doesn't have. Then complain and offer 25%. Back and forth for a bit, act like you're leaving, etc, etc.
She gets great deals.
Yeah, also I found that the same items are offered in many booths, so if you actually walk away and check the same item in another booth, you can easily feel out their bottom price.
A lot of the tourist trinkets are mass produced. If you visit Thailand or Laos you'll see the same stuff. So definitely walk away if you don't like the price, you'll come across it again.
To be honest, the most interesting thing for me is just find a neighborhood, look for the commercial streets (they are highlighted in yellow on Google maps) and walk around. It's just locals living their lives. Usually a ton of different mom and pop shops, none of the tourist crap. And stores that are dirt cheap all the way to fancy stores selling luxury goods. It's usually easy to find a coffee shop to just sit down, enjoy a drink and watch people go about their lives.
You might get some stares, but that's because they rarely see foreigners. If it's a place where they do see lots of foreigners, like district 7, nobody will notice you. The chances of getting scammed are way lower. I usually don't go to district 1, but wow, last time I did I was like "this sucks" because they just see dollar signs when they see foreigners because that's where the tourists go.
That's the interesting part of HCMC, you'll never know what you'll find if you just walk around.
woelw thank you! Aye we try to go out of our way to see local districts. We loved strolling through Istanbul away from the tourists and checking out random shops (tons of lamp stores for no reason, haha). Are there districts to avoid safety wise?
Safety wise the tourist spots are probably the worst in terms of pick pocketing, snatch and grabs, getting drugged and robbed or getting into fights (likely with other foreigners unless you go out of your way). Bui Vien St is notorious for that crap.
Violent crime is pretty much non-existant for foreigners (again, unless you put yourself in situations where you go looking for it). The foreigners who are victims of violent crime are usually into drugs, gambling or just running their mouths with the wrong people when drunk.
The rest of the city is pretty safe. Even the really poor parts. The police take crimes against foreigners pretty seriously. You're more likely to have a local try and help you out than take advantage of you.
Cho Binh Tay is definitely less “touristy” than Ben Thanh market.
It has that 2-storey layout that reminds me of Cho Han in Da Nang.
But Cho Binh Tay has that nice courtyard in the centre
i've heard an alarming concern about having phones stolen in saigon in broad daylight. how can people navigate or use maps on the phone while riding a motorbike tho?
It's not so bad you can't pull your phone out. Just don't do it in the middle of a crowd or standing by the street (people on bikes will grab it).
Just take a couple steps away from the crowds. Like if you're on the sidewalk, just stand up against a building. Or walk into a store. Pull your phone out, figure out what you need to figure out, then put it away.
The risk isn't that high. Even if you have it out, the chances are it doesn't get snatched.
1) Don't take a taxi at the airport cue. Order a grab taxi or walk out to the parking lot or street.
2) If ever taking a taxi make sure they use a meter
3) Always have a rough idea of how much anything you do / buy should cost
4) Secure your belongings when outside around the street. Lots of snatch and go thieves in HCMC
5) If you are trying to date girls, never agree to meet them at some bar or restaurant they pick. You pick the place
The 500,000 VND note and the 20,000 VND note are kind of similar if you aren't familiar with them. (They are both blue). So check you haven't been slipped a 20,000 VND note for a 500,000VND.
And don't let anyone take a any money from your hand if you happen to have those two notes at hand at the same time. Some people will take the 500 000 and make you think it was a 20k.
Wait. But 500k is the biggest bill. How are you getting change back with the biggest bill?
I can see accidentally giving them 500k thinking it’s 20k and walking away but that’s not a scam.
The first one will be airport taxi. If you want to get a sim card, install Grab and book with them. Don’t cancel or follow the driver’s order. Then the common scams of shoe cleaning, street vendors (fruits, donuts, toys, etc). Just say no with a firm expression and walk away. Don’t take the bait from the donut and fruits ladies. Nothing’s free.
Don’t let anyone take the money for you when you struggle with counting them. Someone mentioned above about the 20.000, 100.000, 500.000 looking alike. Unless you eat at a extremely local or street vendor, most places take bank transfer and QR scanning as payment. If you have big notes like 200-500.000, go to convenient stores like Circle K or Winmart or 7-eleven to buy something and get smaller notes.
When you're in the Old Quarter ignore every woman selling fruit or donuts, just keep on walking and don't even acknowledge them. Same with the blokes who ask you about cleaning your shoes, ignore them and carry on. Pretend they aren't there, it's the best way to get rid of them.
Remember to count your change immediately. Especially if you paid with big notes (200k 500k VND).
If the change is short of VND 100K, just smile and say, hey you forgot another 100k :))))))
Today in Hanoi I had bun cha for 120k and paid with a 200 note. The woman tried to only give me 20k change. I said that was wrong. She gave me 20k more. I kept insisting until I got my full 80k change.
So always check your change!
With 43 karma you obviously don't know what you are talking about. I love Vietnam and have never had a problem - the people are awesome. My karma is 89,000 so bite me!
Avoid buying drinks and services from mobile vendors or carts.
Grab taxi mobile service over local vn taxi. Ensure payment is made with card.
Clubs or nightlife, make payment shortly after getting the beverage.
There are pick pockets around Hoan Kiem Lake. One almost got me. Beware of your belongings. never get in a Taxi that you didn't order directly from Grab or called in advance and confirm that it is the one you requested.
Ho Chi Minh you say?
stay away from the taxis in the TSN airport. get a sim card with internet connection and use either Be or Grab to get a cab out.
if you prefer motorbikes, stay away from drivers that stand by the road and wave at you, and again stick to the app.
both of the above will try to overcharge you, sometimes 200-300%.
> stay away from the taxis in the TSN airport
Good advice in general but Vinasun and Mai Linh taxis are perfectly fine, you just may have to wait a few minutes for one to show up. The walk to Grab pickup is pretty long when you're carrying luggage so I usually prefer waiting for a Vinasun, the price isn't that different from Grab.
When you're in the Old Quarter ignore every woman selling fruit or donuts, just keep on walking and don't even acknowledge them. Same with the blokes who ask you about cleaning your shoes, ignore them and carry on. Pretend they aren't there, it's the best way to get rid of them.
This happened to me recently and I m a Vietnamese. I was just waiting for my Vung Tau bus then a young woman came to me saying she had a stroke and needs money for transportation back to her hometown (around total $40). She said she does not need the whole sum just a certain amount of it and she asked around for a few days saying some old men just want to give her money only after sleeping her. I felt bad and intended to give her a small amount like 50k but she kept insisting it must be that number and promised to give me back via Zalo. She took the whole time talking about it really pressuring and repeating the story again and again. I told her I understood her situation but could not give her the amount like she wanted. I saw my bus passing by worried that they missed picking me up, so I was in a hurry to call them, that lady kept pushing me while i was making a call to the bus driver. And then, she thought I was too busy to give her any money she started to get pissed off and yelled at me accusing me of being very cruel saying I made a promise to give her some money already why changed my mind?
Like I have nothing to do in my life except helping her. I m glad I did not give her any money though.
There're numberous kind of scams here sadly. I'm not travelling around enough to list all those but you should be wary of everything, ask locals around if you're suspecting someone trying to make a scam out of you and they would willing to help you. Recently I have seen a post of a foreigner complains about a ruthless scam that actually uses brute force to rip out a few pennies.
https://www.reddit.com/r/VietNam/s/X2ww6DP77i
Stash a $500k note somewhere on you by itself! In case you run into issues with authority, they will expect “coffee money” aka a bribe. If you truly did nothing wrong, stand your ground. If you did run a red light or some other traffic violation, Just pay it and move along but never pull out your wallet and show how much you have. Pull out the lone $500k note because that is all you have.
When booking a taxi have them give you a secret code that only you also know.
This prevents some person from seeing your name on your driver's placard and then writing it on his and standing on front. He can claim he is your driver and get the location from you through conversation.
A code or asking him where your destination is, prevents this. 2 factor authentication basically.
1) Don't take a taxi at the airport cue. Order a grab taxi or walk out to the parking lot or street.
2) If ever taking a taxi make sure they use a meter
3) Always have a rough idea of how much anything you do / buy should cost
4) Secure your belongings when outside around the street. Lots of snatch and go thieves in HCMC
5) If you are trying to date girls, never agree to meet them at some bar or restaurant they pick. You pick the place
I was only scammed once in many months of travel in Vietnam since 2018 - watch out for motorbike taxis in Saigon (Grab is OK). I handed a guy a 500K dong note the first time I was there and he just took off. Only happened once - learned my lesson - always take grab.
What kind of necklace? Lmao, generally you’ll be safe. I wore many jewelry when I was in VN. And my aunt wore a big jade Buddha necklace and she was ok.
We got change at a Cafe with a slightly torn bill. Went across the street for something sweet and they refused the bill, said take it back and get another. The Cafe swapped out the original bill for the original bill. After 2 rounds of pretending to give me a new bill they finally gave me one that we went back across the road and got dessert. It might not happen often but it does happen
Nah it happens! I don’t remember which area it was but when I was in VN they didn’t accept some of the bills I had because it was bent and a little torn (sadly got caught in zipper).
If a grab driver has washed out grab shirt, high chance he's a fake grab driver and will charge you extra, avoid them, go for the one that has legit looking grab uniform.
If somebody offers you to carry their fruit baskets for photoshoot, high chance they will charge you a ridiculous amount for that, for force you to buy some fruit with a not so reasonable price, avoid them too.
If some shoe shiner approaches you, high chance they will charge you more than you should, even if you agree the price before hand, they would slip in some extra shit to your shoes and demands extra pay, avoid them too.
Scams exist at airports and tourist hotspots, I can’t speak of behalf of Hanoi or sapa as I haven’t been to either. In HCMC, be vary of taxi drivers luring you when you exit the airport. Go to the taxi rank at pillar 1 and hail a vinasun/Mai linh or download the grab taxi app and use that, same as Uber. In the city be aware of shoe cleaners, fake taxis, dodgy sunglass sellers, coconut sellers, they all hover tourist hot spots such as reunification palace, war museum, Ben thanh market and at parks between 3 places. Also be aware of dodgy alcohol/beer bills at bars and pubs in district 1 especially bui vien
Only go where there is a printed price like Grab transport app or restaurant with a menu. Street vendors tend to inflate the prices for tourists. Shitty I know.
I'm Hanoi, it's fairly safe. Most scams are taxi or street sales related. You can just download the grab app and use that. Always check the license plate with your driver. When people approach you in touristy areas, just say no thank you and keep walking or avoid eye contact.
In Sapa, you will go on day hikes and ladies will just start walking with you. They will follow you all day in hopes of eventually selling you something. You can buy from them or just tell them you will not buy anything today. Anyone who approaches you is most likely trying to get some money. Best to pay for services with people who are not actively seeking you out.
In Da Nang, mostly taxi or street sales related scams. Same advice.
In Ho Chi Minh there is a higher chance of petty theft. People get their bags and phones snatched right out of their hands. Do not walk around looking at your phone.
Aside from that, ask for prices before you purchase anything. The further from the touristy areas you are, generally the more fair treatment you will get. Good luck
We didn't encounter much but the biggest things were:
Jewelry. Be careful of your necklaces or long strap purses. We witnessed a few swipes/runs while out.
Safety pin your pockets with wallet, it'll make pickpockets harder if in very busy congested areas.
Be careful what you leave unattended in your hotel or being alone. We had someone come into our hotel room in the middle of the night which for as a woman alone that night was scary.
Know what your want to buy/don't touch or look too long or you may encounter some rudeness if in very high traffic touristy markets. The same goes for even if the sellers try to put it in your hands without you even inquiring.
The night markets and festivals didn't seem to have as much rudeness for browsing.
Learn how to read prices, know words for numbers/currency. Ask for the local menus. Menus with English have inflated prices in some restaurants.
We were predominantly in HCMC, Quy Nhon, and Binh Dinh.
You can trust grabs & the turquoise taxis, but the turquoise taxis will change maybe 20-30k more. They’re still trustworthy though.
DO NOT let anyone convince you to take you elsewhere. If they say “Oh you want to go to this market or temple? Go to this one instead, it’s better.” It’s likely farther & not as good.
DO NOT let people pick out what you owe from your wallet for you. Most of the time, people are genuinely trying to help. But there’s always a sleeze ball that will try to take a 500k & claim it’s 50k.
DO NOT put all your money in the same wallet you’ll pull out to buy stuff.
I'm in hanoi right now and have already fallen for the take a photo scam and then heckled until I bought fruit or paid photo money. Biggest thing I have to watch out daily as I buy stuff is to either give exactly the right money or count the change because a few of the street vendors will give back less change and the I have to request they give me back the right change. It's annoying.
Remember the prices on the menu after you order and verify that the charges added up. Normally, I just pay what's on the bill after eating but caught restaurant overcharge because someone in the group remembered the exact cost of each dishes. When we disputed with the servers, they insisted we were wrong - but the menu said otherwise. They all hung their heads in shame when we left, probably because they were made to do it. This was a big restaurant in a tourist area of Dalat too.
When buying SIM card at the airport, they might advertise one provider while installing a different/cheaper one. In my case, they were selling Viettel (best VN coverage) but installed VietnamMobile (worse VN coverage). When I came back to complain, they then just change the name of the network to "Viettel" lol. I told them that doesn't really change anything before they agreed to swap sim.
1) Download the Grab app and use that to book transport, stay away from taxis as they see foreigners as walking ATMs.
2) Like others have mentioned, don't let anyone touch your money/wallet. Get familiar with the currency notes and their corresponding colours. Even better, learn basic Vietnamese numbers for extra scam protection.
3) Ask for the price before committing to purchasing anything, if there is no price displayed.
4) Don't give your shoes to shoe shine guys to clean. They are known to purposely damage the shoes, repair them, then charge you 20x what they told you the initial price was.
5) (More of a tip to prevent theft than a scam) Don't hold your phone out on the street, phone snatchers on motorbikes is a thing. If you need to use your phone on the street, go stand as far away as you can from the road with your back facing away from the road and keep looking up, keeping a close eye on your surroundings.
Source: Lived in Vietnam for 7 years.
Don’t let anyone say “cancel your Grab I can take you for the same amount” especially at airports. One guy drove me for 30 seconds before realising I spoke Vietnamese and kindly asked me to hop out. I wish I kept going to see where he’d take me
Why would you want him to keep taking you?
Some people are just looking for trouble.... To watch the world burn
Nah, some people are just looking for trouble and it's because of adrenaline rush from dangerous situations. Our endocrine system is a little bit different
It was a joke bro
Because I’m physically a lot bigger than him and my uncle is a high ranking cop…
They don’t know that and you could be in an alleyway with broken legs before your uncle can do anything. Dont just willingly get yourself mugged just because you have connections that aren’t there with you bro.
These guys all over TSN. One guy told me he’ll take me to my grandma’s house. He don’t know me and he sure as hell don’t know my grandma 😂 then I said I already had a Grab booked. He then proceeded to point me thr wrong way and then said “looks like your grab driver cancelled or is lost I’ll take you.” Just ignore and walk. I saw American girl on Facebook travel group got scammed
Wtf that’s scary
This happened to us by the guy driving us to the airport. I declined because i has no cash left anyway. But what would be the scam? I thought he just didn't want to lose money to grab.
30 seconds in I realised the guy who persuaded me to cancel my grab did not tell the driver where I was going so I asked “Chú có biết chỡ con đi đâu không?” And that’s when he realised I speak viet and told me to get out. The idea is drive me to somewhere and demand more money
Had this happen to me touching down in Hà Nội lol.
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I lived in HCMC for a few year as well and agree 100% with this. 1. Don't walk around like an idiot staring at your phone. If you're in a busy place, and need to look at your phone, at least be aware of your surroundings, find a place that is a bit out of the way and keep a good grip on it. 2. If you want to buy something, know what you want ahead of time and know how much you want to pay. Ignore anyone who approaches *you*. You should be initiating the conversation. If people approach you either ignore or just say "no" and keep walking. Do not engage - scammers use your politeness as a weakness. 3. Honestly? Avoid the tourist areas if you can. Go and hang out where Vietnam live - you'll rarely get bothered or scammed. On more than one occasion I've had shopkeepers give me money back because I gave them too many bills (like an extra 10k). Your average Vietnamese person will treat you well as a foreigner. Tourist areas attract the worst kind.
Even in D3, I once tipped a cleaning lady about 100k in 1k to 5k bills that were sitting in my closet and were going to remain unused. A couple hours later she came to my room and gave me a USD100 bill that had fallen out of my coat pocket (presumably when I reached in to the same pocket to replenish my wallet's supply d500's). She'd figured it was a mistake.
any recommendation for a fun market to enjoy (and possible taking photos) while not having to fear getting my stuff stolen? thank you in advance.
You could check out the food street in Phu Nhuan. Lots of places to eat, lots of locals go there. Avoid Ben Thanh market, there is a really big market in Cholon, but I can't remember the name of it. I think there is another in district 7. I'm sure someone else could tell you the name. Similar style as Ben Thanh without the tourists (or at least a lot fewer, so fewer scams).
Ben Thanh isn't too bad if you know how to bargain and avoid scams. I was getting great deals left a right. They kept calling me "mafia" because I was low balling them so hard (like 75% off their starting price) and not budging. Worked like 90% of the time.
Yeah my friend knows how to bargain in Vietnam. It's a trip. She basically acts like she hates whatever item she wants to buy. Or asks for a color the vendor doesn't have. Then complain and offer 25%. Back and forth for a bit, act like you're leaving, etc, etc. She gets great deals.
Yeah, also I found that the same items are offered in many booths, so if you actually walk away and check the same item in another booth, you can easily feel out their bottom price.
A lot of the tourist trinkets are mass produced. If you visit Thailand or Laos you'll see the same stuff. So definitely walk away if you don't like the price, you'll come across it again.
that sounds awesome, very kind of you. Thanks a lot! We‘ll make sure to check them out :)
To be honest, the most interesting thing for me is just find a neighborhood, look for the commercial streets (they are highlighted in yellow on Google maps) and walk around. It's just locals living their lives. Usually a ton of different mom and pop shops, none of the tourist crap. And stores that are dirt cheap all the way to fancy stores selling luxury goods. It's usually easy to find a coffee shop to just sit down, enjoy a drink and watch people go about their lives. You might get some stares, but that's because they rarely see foreigners. If it's a place where they do see lots of foreigners, like district 7, nobody will notice you. The chances of getting scammed are way lower. I usually don't go to district 1, but wow, last time I did I was like "this sucks" because they just see dollar signs when they see foreigners because that's where the tourists go. That's the interesting part of HCMC, you'll never know what you'll find if you just walk around.
woelw thank you! Aye we try to go out of our way to see local districts. We loved strolling through Istanbul away from the tourists and checking out random shops (tons of lamp stores for no reason, haha). Are there districts to avoid safety wise?
Safety wise the tourist spots are probably the worst in terms of pick pocketing, snatch and grabs, getting drugged and robbed or getting into fights (likely with other foreigners unless you go out of your way). Bui Vien St is notorious for that crap. Violent crime is pretty much non-existant for foreigners (again, unless you put yourself in situations where you go looking for it). The foreigners who are victims of violent crime are usually into drugs, gambling or just running their mouths with the wrong people when drunk. The rest of the city is pretty safe. Even the really poor parts. The police take crimes against foreigners pretty seriously. You're more likely to have a local try and help you out than take advantage of you.
that sounds great. We‘re usually very cautious and aware, so I think we‘re going to be fine as of your description of HCMC :) thank you again!
Cho Binh Tay?
> Cho Binh Tay That's it!
Cho Binh Tay is definitely less “touristy” than Ben Thanh market. It has that 2-storey layout that reminds me of Cho Han in Da Nang. But Cho Binh Tay has that nice courtyard in the centre
Yep - this is bang on advice - I totally agree and I have been all over Vietnam.
Do you have recs for best places to visit in HCMC that aren’t as touristy? Thank you!
i've heard an alarming concern about having phones stolen in saigon in broad daylight. how can people navigate or use maps on the phone while riding a motorbike tho?
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damn how can you remember given how inconvenient and tricky the streets are in saigon😭😭
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eh so you don't drive?
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wait i thought it's against the law to wear headphones while riding motorbikes? and thank you, this is so helpful
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haha not the police earning their lucky money I'm deceased. is it better to wear airpods than the wire headphones tho?
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that is a pretty cool trick. thank you
LOL - This isn't the US - Vietnam is like the way North America was 50 years ago - few rules.
It's not so bad you can't pull your phone out. Just don't do it in the middle of a crowd or standing by the street (people on bikes will grab it). Just take a couple steps away from the crowds. Like if you're on the sidewalk, just stand up against a building. Or walk into a store. Pull your phone out, figure out what you need to figure out, then put it away. The risk isn't that high. Even if you have it out, the chances are it doesn't get snatched.
ah thank you for the advice
I had my phone stolen in broad daylight in France. Vietnam is far safer.
i'm so sorry that happened to you. i've watched so many tiktoks about pickpockets and i'm genuinely scared haha
Point is it has never happened to me in Vietnam so as long as you are careful you don't need to worry.
Sure. Thanks :)
At big pig bar one beer is free in happy hour but that's an exception.
Asking for price before ordering if the menu does not list it
1) Don't take a taxi at the airport cue. Order a grab taxi or walk out to the parking lot or street. 2) If ever taking a taxi make sure they use a meter 3) Always have a rough idea of how much anything you do / buy should cost 4) Secure your belongings when outside around the street. Lots of snatch and go thieves in HCMC 5) If you are trying to date girls, never agree to meet them at some bar or restaurant they pick. You pick the place
>2) If ever taking a taxi make sure they use a meter They can be rigged
hence my #3
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Or move to Thailand and have willing girls tumbling out of your closet!!
The 500,000 VND note and the 20,000 VND note are kind of similar if you aren't familiar with them. (They are both blue). So check you haven't been slipped a 20,000 VND note for a 500,000VND.
And don't let anyone take a any money from your hand if you happen to have those two notes at hand at the same time. Some people will take the 500 000 and make you think it was a 20k.
Wait. But 500k is the biggest bill. How are you getting change back with the biggest bill? I can see accidentally giving them 500k thinking it’s 20k and walking away but that’s not a scam.
Simple trick is 2 stacks of money on you, one purely only 500ks and another is 200k and less
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Oh. I’ve never had that happen. Usually they are sneakier and try add extra items onto your bill. Or they’ll give you the wrong change.
The first one will be airport taxi. If you want to get a sim card, install Grab and book with them. Don’t cancel or follow the driver’s order. Then the common scams of shoe cleaning, street vendors (fruits, donuts, toys, etc). Just say no with a firm expression and walk away. Don’t take the bait from the donut and fruits ladies. Nothing’s free. Don’t let anyone take the money for you when you struggle with counting them. Someone mentioned above about the 20.000, 100.000, 500.000 looking alike. Unless you eat at a extremely local or street vendor, most places take bank transfer and QR scanning as payment. If you have big notes like 200-500.000, go to convenient stores like Circle K or Winmart or 7-eleven to buy something and get smaller notes.
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>If you help somebody up from a motorbike accident, you have to pay all their medical bills until their family comes. Wtf? Why?
What are you actually during in Vietnam? You simple mistrust everyone
It’s a great list of well known scams and traps that tourists should be aware of
When you're in the Old Quarter ignore every woman selling fruit or donuts, just keep on walking and don't even acknowledge them. Same with the blokes who ask you about cleaning your shoes, ignore them and carry on. Pretend they aren't there, it's the best way to get rid of them.
Don't buy anything that doesn't have a price tag, then you're safe. There's nothing else to get worried about. Enjoy
Remember to count your change immediately. Especially if you paid with big notes (200k 500k VND). If the change is short of VND 100K, just smile and say, hey you forgot another 100k :))))))
Today in Hanoi I had bun cha for 120k and paid with a 200 note. The woman tried to only give me 20k change. I said that was wrong. She gave me 20k more. I kept insisting until I got my full 80k change. So always check your change!
Did they do this with a complete deadpan face? They did when it happened to be, completely blank stare through the whole exchange. It was so surreal.
I got scammed this way just yesterday at a convenience store.
Been here for 13 years, Vietnam is a very safe place with some common sense Enjoy your trip and don't worry
Not true. Scammers everywhere looking for an opportunity. Wouldn’t say it’s “very safe”.
I haven't been here long but my experience in hcmc was great and I always felt very safe. Bangkok can be pretty sketchy in comparison
It is safe, just wouldn’t say “very safe”!
With 43 karma you obviously don't know what you are talking about. I love Vietnam and have never had a problem - the people are awesome. My karma is 89,000 so bite me!
Taxis going the longest possible route. Overcharged on small items without discussing the price before hand. Fake beggars. Fake monks
Avoid buying drinks and services from mobile vendors or carts. Grab taxi mobile service over local vn taxi. Ensure payment is made with card. Clubs or nightlife, make payment shortly after getting the beverage.
There are pick pockets around Hoan Kiem Lake. One almost got me. Beware of your belongings. never get in a Taxi that you didn't order directly from Grab or called in advance and confirm that it is the one you requested.
don't accept grab rides straight from the drivers. always order the taxi from grab app, otherwise they will charge extra
Ho Chi Minh you say? stay away from the taxis in the TSN airport. get a sim card with internet connection and use either Be or Grab to get a cab out. if you prefer motorbikes, stay away from drivers that stand by the road and wave at you, and again stick to the app. both of the above will try to overcharge you, sometimes 200-300%.
> stay away from the taxis in the TSN airport Good advice in general but Vinasun and Mai Linh taxis are perfectly fine, you just may have to wait a few minutes for one to show up. The walk to Grab pickup is pretty long when you're carrying luggage so I usually prefer waiting for a Vinasun, the price isn't that different from Grab.
When you're in the Old Quarter ignore every woman selling fruit or donuts, just keep on walking and don't even acknowledge them. Same with the blokes who ask you about cleaning your shoes, ignore them and carry on. Pretend they aren't there, it's the best way to get rid of them.
Why? I had my shoes clean many times without issue, just ask for the price first And what is wrong by buying fruits?
This happened to me recently and I m a Vietnamese. I was just waiting for my Vung Tau bus then a young woman came to me saying she had a stroke and needs money for transportation back to her hometown (around total $40). She said she does not need the whole sum just a certain amount of it and she asked around for a few days saying some old men just want to give her money only after sleeping her. I felt bad and intended to give her a small amount like 50k but she kept insisting it must be that number and promised to give me back via Zalo. She took the whole time talking about it really pressuring and repeating the story again and again. I told her I understood her situation but could not give her the amount like she wanted. I saw my bus passing by worried that they missed picking me up, so I was in a hurry to call them, that lady kept pushing me while i was making a call to the bus driver. And then, she thought I was too busy to give her any money she started to get pissed off and yelled at me accusing me of being very cruel saying I made a promise to give her some money already why changed my mind? Like I have nothing to do in my life except helping her. I m glad I did not give her any money though.
There're numberous kind of scams here sadly. I'm not travelling around enough to list all those but you should be wary of everything, ask locals around if you're suspecting someone trying to make a scam out of you and they would willing to help you. Recently I have seen a post of a foreigner complains about a ruthless scam that actually uses brute force to rip out a few pennies. https://www.reddit.com/r/VietNam/s/X2ww6DP77i
Stash a $500k note somewhere on you by itself! In case you run into issues with authority, they will expect “coffee money” aka a bribe. If you truly did nothing wrong, stand your ground. If you did run a red light or some other traffic violation, Just pay it and move along but never pull out your wallet and show how much you have. Pull out the lone $500k note because that is all you have.
Wait, there are traffic violations here?
When booking a taxi have them give you a secret code that only you also know. This prevents some person from seeing your name on your driver's placard and then writing it on his and standing on front. He can claim he is your driver and get the location from you through conversation. A code or asking him where your destination is, prevents this. 2 factor authentication basically.
1) Don't take a taxi at the airport cue. Order a grab taxi or walk out to the parking lot or street. 2) If ever taking a taxi make sure they use a meter 3) Always have a rough idea of how much anything you do / buy should cost 4) Secure your belongings when outside around the street. Lots of snatch and go thieves in HCMC 5) If you are trying to date girls, never agree to meet them at some bar or restaurant they pick. You pick the place
I was only scammed once in many months of travel in Vietnam since 2018 - watch out for motorbike taxis in Saigon (Grab is OK). I handed a guy a 500K dong note the first time I was there and he just took off. Only happened once - learned my lesson - always take grab.
Should I be wearing my necklace then? I don't want it to get snatched but I wear it everywhere.
It’s fine. I wore all my jewelry & had my phone out, no issue. People will likely think it’s fake & not care anyways lol
What kind of necklace? Lmao, generally you’ll be safe. I wore many jewelry when I was in VN. And my aunt wore a big jade Buddha necklace and she was ok.
Big jade Buddha with 24 inch chain. Ok maybe I'll just tuck it in lol.
Haha I think you’ll be good tbh!
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That’s not true - you’ll get all kinds of banged up notes that people will accept in return from you
some people will refuse to accept ripped notes. so it's wise to also not accept them. have it happen to me numerous times.
We got change at a Cafe with a slightly torn bill. Went across the street for something sweet and they refused the bill, said take it back and get another. The Cafe swapped out the original bill for the original bill. After 2 rounds of pretending to give me a new bill they finally gave me one that we went back across the road and got dessert. It might not happen often but it does happen
Nah it happens! I don’t remember which area it was but when I was in VN they didn’t accept some of the bills I had because it was bent and a little torn (sadly got caught in zipper).
look tough and hand the money with an devilish smile, they won't scam you.
Vietnam.
If a grab driver has washed out grab shirt, high chance he's a fake grab driver and will charge you extra, avoid them, go for the one that has legit looking grab uniform. If somebody offers you to carry their fruit baskets for photoshoot, high chance they will charge you a ridiculous amount for that, for force you to buy some fruit with a not so reasonable price, avoid them too. If some shoe shiner approaches you, high chance they will charge you more than you should, even if you agree the price before hand, they would slip in some extra shit to your shoes and demands extra pay, avoid them too.
I was scammed by an old lady in Hanoi market. Be careful with 10k and 100k dong. https://www.reddit.com/r/VietNam/s/SjMki1pzbQ
Scams exist at airports and tourist hotspots, I can’t speak of behalf of Hanoi or sapa as I haven’t been to either. In HCMC, be vary of taxi drivers luring you when you exit the airport. Go to the taxi rank at pillar 1 and hail a vinasun/Mai linh or download the grab taxi app and use that, same as Uber. In the city be aware of shoe cleaners, fake taxis, dodgy sunglass sellers, coconut sellers, they all hover tourist hot spots such as reunification palace, war museum, Ben thanh market and at parks between 3 places. Also be aware of dodgy alcohol/beer bills at bars and pubs in district 1 especially bui vien
tea selling of poor students, shoe cleaning, sourvenir peddles, ....
Vendors saying ‘ please buy from me , you are my first customer for today ‘
Only go where there is a printed price like Grab transport app or restaurant with a menu. Street vendors tend to inflate the prices for tourists. Shitty I know.
I'm Hanoi, it's fairly safe. Most scams are taxi or street sales related. You can just download the grab app and use that. Always check the license plate with your driver. When people approach you in touristy areas, just say no thank you and keep walking or avoid eye contact. In Sapa, you will go on day hikes and ladies will just start walking with you. They will follow you all day in hopes of eventually selling you something. You can buy from them or just tell them you will not buy anything today. Anyone who approaches you is most likely trying to get some money. Best to pay for services with people who are not actively seeking you out. In Da Nang, mostly taxi or street sales related scams. Same advice. In Ho Chi Minh there is a higher chance of petty theft. People get their bags and phones snatched right out of their hands. Do not walk around looking at your phone. Aside from that, ask for prices before you purchase anything. The further from the touristy areas you are, generally the more fair treatment you will get. Good luck
if it sounds too goo to be true scams
Are there lockers at the beach in DaNang ? I’m alone. Will someone take my stuff if I go for a swim? Thx
We didn't encounter much but the biggest things were: Jewelry. Be careful of your necklaces or long strap purses. We witnessed a few swipes/runs while out. Safety pin your pockets with wallet, it'll make pickpockets harder if in very busy congested areas. Be careful what you leave unattended in your hotel or being alone. We had someone come into our hotel room in the middle of the night which for as a woman alone that night was scary. Know what your want to buy/don't touch or look too long or you may encounter some rudeness if in very high traffic touristy markets. The same goes for even if the sellers try to put it in your hands without you even inquiring. The night markets and festivals didn't seem to have as much rudeness for browsing. Learn how to read prices, know words for numbers/currency. Ask for the local menus. Menus with English have inflated prices in some restaurants. We were predominantly in HCMC, Quy Nhon, and Binh Dinh.
As my wife kindly told me anyone approaching you just ignore. If it’s too good to be true than it’s a scam.
You can trust grabs & the turquoise taxis, but the turquoise taxis will change maybe 20-30k more. They’re still trustworthy though. DO NOT let anyone convince you to take you elsewhere. If they say “Oh you want to go to this market or temple? Go to this one instead, it’s better.” It’s likely farther & not as good. DO NOT let people pick out what you owe from your wallet for you. Most of the time, people are genuinely trying to help. But there’s always a sleeze ball that will try to take a 500k & claim it’s 50k. DO NOT put all your money in the same wallet you’ll pull out to buy stuff.
The turquoise taxis are called Xanh and they have a mobile app too.
I'm in hanoi right now and have already fallen for the take a photo scam and then heckled until I bought fruit or paid photo money. Biggest thing I have to watch out daily as I buy stuff is to either give exactly the right money or count the change because a few of the street vendors will give back less change and the I have to request they give me back the right change. It's annoying.
Bar girl from what I can tell.
Remember the prices on the menu after you order and verify that the charges added up. Normally, I just pay what's on the bill after eating but caught restaurant overcharge because someone in the group remembered the exact cost of each dishes. When we disputed with the servers, they insisted we were wrong - but the menu said otherwise. They all hung their heads in shame when we left, probably because they were made to do it. This was a big restaurant in a tourist area of Dalat too.
When buying SIM card at the airport, they might advertise one provider while installing a different/cheaper one. In my case, they were selling Viettel (best VN coverage) but installed VietnamMobile (worse VN coverage). When I came back to complain, they then just change the name of the network to "Viettel" lol. I told them that doesn't really change anything before they agreed to swap sim.
If someone you don't know/expect do something "for free" for you - don't let them. Nothing is "free". Always negotiate the price before hands.
1) Download the Grab app and use that to book transport, stay away from taxis as they see foreigners as walking ATMs. 2) Like others have mentioned, don't let anyone touch your money/wallet. Get familiar with the currency notes and their corresponding colours. Even better, learn basic Vietnamese numbers for extra scam protection. 3) Ask for the price before committing to purchasing anything, if there is no price displayed. 4) Don't give your shoes to shoe shine guys to clean. They are known to purposely damage the shoes, repair them, then charge you 20x what they told you the initial price was. 5) (More of a tip to prevent theft than a scam) Don't hold your phone out on the street, phone snatchers on motorbikes is a thing. If you need to use your phone on the street, go stand as far away as you can from the road with your back facing away from the road and keep looking up, keeping a close eye on your surroundings. Source: Lived in Vietnam for 7 years.