Hanoi scams, Scams Hanoi, Hanoi Viertnam scam, Vietnam Hanoi scams, Hanoi City scams

Hanoi scams


First off, Hanoi is a fascinating city and I am really happy I went there. However, here are a few bad apples that you should not allow to spoil the whole barrel:

- Taxis. Most of our taxi drivers tried to take advantage of us. Here are some tips to at least minimize the damage.

1. Arrange an airport pickup in advance.

2. Take a taxi ONLY if you see a meter and an ID. The Hanoi Taxi company and Mailinh group were OK on this point, but avoid no-name companies.

3. Make sure the driver starts the meter. Otherwise you are free game.

4. When you get in, note the car's odometer reading and watch the "km" reading on the meter. Some taxis have rigged meters that run 2-3x fast, and cross-referencing the 2 helps to prevent this.

5. If possible, have a rough idea at least of where you are going. We got a nice, unplanned tour of the old quarter from an otherwise reputable company.

If the driver tries to cheat you, ask for a receipt, write down the license number and the driver's name if possible, and request assistance from the hotel in filing a complaint with the police.

- Street services: Skip the shoeshine, shoe repair, whatever (food explicitly excepted, see below). They know a thousand ways to part you with your money, the favorite being not quoting a price before performing a service. Avoid the urchins completely and if you should fall for their scam and there is a problem, threaten to call the police.

- Non-posted prices: OK, we can all skip the shoe shine, but it would be tragic to skip the street food. We encountered very few problems with overcharging for street food, with the exception of the little old ladies selling "Hanoi donut holes" (I don't remember the proper name, they are little balls of glutinous rice with glaze or sesame seeds - delicious) and I seem to remember paying too much for iced coffee once or twice, but nothing too bad. On the whole, don't worry too much about this one - you will come out ahead no matter what.

Overall, the food is worth the risk, but otherwise let the buyer be VERY aware.

Hanoi scams by Crawfish71 tripadvisor.com

Re: Hanoi scams


Thanks for your helpful report Crawfish. This subject of taxi scams comes up regularly on the forum and much the same advice as yours has been given before, but it does no harm to repeat it in the hope that - via the search facility - newcomers will research all aspects of their forthcoming trip and thus be aware of possible pitfalls.

In the interest of balance it must be said that it is not unknown for tourists to be the perpetrators of scams that are far more costly to the victims.

Just a couple of days ago a Vietnamese friend of mine who manages a Hanoi hotel fell victim to a travellers cheque scam by some guests to the tune of $400. It is he, not the owner, who has to cover the cost from his wages. He is paid a basic wage of $220 per month, so you will understand the extreme hardship caused by the guests' unconscionable behaviour.

This was not an isolated case and travellers cheque scams have been perpetrated in other hotels, as have incidences of guests doing a runner before paying their bills.

Compared with that, tourists being ripped off or overcharged by a couple of dollars or even cents pales into insignificance. That, however, does not make it right or acceptable.

by CreakingBones tripadvisor.com