In this, the second part of our two-part series on avoiding common tourist scams in Vietnam, we focus on popular tourist destinations in the south of the country. Saigon, Nha Trang, and Hoi An all have their fair share of scams and safety hazards that travelers should be aware of. Read part 1 of this series if you’re heading to the North of Vietnam and concerned about safety.
HOW TO AVOID SCAMS IN SOUTH VIETNAM – SAIGON, NHA TRANG, AND HOI AN
(Please click on the link below to jump direcly to region you want to explore)
SAIGON:
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) is Vietnam’s biggest, busiest, and most exciting city. In any such city there are always going to be scams and dangers to beware of.
Airport Taxi & Cyclo Scams: Read our blog post about these notorious scams in Vietnam.
**** If you would prefer to avoid dealing with taxis altogether, or if you’re arriving to Ho Chi Minh City very late and/or you have young children, we can highly recommend Drive Vietnam for the best Ho Chi Minh City airport transfers ****
Hit-and-Run ‘Cowboys’: Drive-by snatchings (including backpacks, handbags, cameras slung around your neck, and ‘smart’ technologies held loosely in your hands) are pretty common in tourist hotspots, such as Ben Thanh Market, Pham Ngu Lao (the ‘backpacker’ district), and Le Loi street. Be particularly careful when crossing roads around Ben Thanh Market and when walking on the sidewalk close to the road in Pham Ngu Lao near the park. Always wear your backpack or handbag on your front, and don’t use your smartphones and tablets in crowded public areas. Another thing to look out for, especially in Pham Ngu Lao, are the adorable ‘street kids’ who wander the backpacker area befriending tourists and selling them chewing gum amongst other things. These children should be at school and the money they receive from you will only go back to the ring of adults (usually not their parents) who control them.
NHA TRANG:
Vietnam’s favorite beach party town, most of Nha Trang’s scams revolve around nightlife and the beach.
Spiked Drink Buckets: Communal drink ‘buckets’ are great fun for a group on a budget, but sometimes bartenders spike these cocktails with their own ‘medicines’, which may lead to more than just a bad hangover. There have been instances where foreigners are robbed after drinking spiked bucket cocktails. Stay clear of the buckets or, at the very least, make sure you’re leaning over the bar staff as he/she pours the liquor.
‘Crowded House’ Pickpockets: Being such as party town, Nha Trang has more than its fair share of crowded bars and nightclubs. Naturally, this is a pickpockets dream. Keep your wits about you: if someone grinds up against you on the dance floor it’s not necessarily a prelude to hooking up; when the dance is over you might find your wallet and smartphone are no longer in your pockets. The same goes for busy bars where customers are cramped next to each other. Keep the cash you carry to a minimum (admittedly this can be difficult if you’re planning on a big night out). It’s a good idea to invest in a cheap ‘dumb-phone’ for nights out; a standard Nokia is only $20 in Vietnam. Or, quite simply, don’t get too smashed; it’s much easier to stay alert when you haven’t had 5 mojitos, 6 beers, and 3 shots of Jägermeister.
Beach Thieves: The long, lovely stretch of Nha Trang beach is fertile ground for opportunist robbers: a bag or phone left unattended for a couple of minutes while the owner paddles in the surf could be gone in seconds. As with nights out on the town, only take what you need to the beach. Also, drive-by bag snatchers can whip the bag off your back before you realize what’s happening, especially on the seafront road and the backpacker streets. Always wear your bag or camera on your front while in these areas.
Local Voyeurs: Young Vietnamese men have been known to take photos and videos of young foreign women in bikinis on Nha Trang’s municipal beach. Shooting from the beachside park, these people are not very subtle about it. There’s not much you can do other than ignore it, and it’s probably best not to sunbath topless, which is illegal anyway.
Long Son Pagoda: Don’t be fooled into a fake tour around this Buddhist complex by children with printed cards claiming to be guides working for the monks. After they’ve shown you around they’ll insist on a ‘donation’ for the monks or that you buy overpriced postcards from them. Say ‘no’ firmly and, if they persist, state clearly that you will not give them any money.
HOI AN
Thankfully, Hoi An is one of the safest tourist destinations in Vietnam. However, there are a couple of minor scams and inconveniences to look out for.
Tailors: Perhaps the thing for tourists to do in Hoi An is to get tailor-made clothes from one of the hundreds of fine tailors here. Prices vary from high-end to budget, but in general you will get what you pay for: if you go cheap there’s more chance of the fit not being quite right, the material being substandard, and the stitching coming apart as soon as you get back home to your country. Do your research and shop around before deciding where to go. (See this previous XO blog for more details)
Manicure scam: A common scam, run by very forceful ladies lurking in the old town, is to offer manicures and other beauty treatments for a dollar or two, only to demand far more once the job is done. Simple solution; do not get beauty treatment on the streets of Hoi An.
Thefts & Hassle: Hoi An may be a small place but it’s hugely popular with foreign and domestic tourists alike. The narrow old streets can get very crowded during peak months and public holidays. Pick-pocketing and bag snatching can be a problem at crowded places, particularly around the Japanese Bridge and riverfront during the full moon lantern festivities. Don’t carry too much cash or valuables, such as gadgets, on your person, and wear your bags and backpacks on your front. General hassle to buy things and book onto tours is fairly persistent, but strong-arm tactics are rare in Hoi An.
FINAL WORD:
Don’t let this list of scams scare you: Vietnam is an extremely safe place to travel, and its people are overwhelmingly hospitable, friendly and honest. Keep an open mind and if or when a scam occurs try to stay calm and put the relative loss of money or inconvenience into perspective. Remember that tourist scams mostly occur in tourist areas; the best way to avoid scams altogether is to get off the beaten path (see this previous XO blog for more details)
We hope you found this Vietnam blog post and our Vietnam Travel Tips useful. If you’re ever in Ho Chi Minh City and you want to see parts of the city that most visitors never get to see, you should consider booking either our “Saigon by Night” or extremely popular “Foodie” tour.
Why choose XO?
*1st motorbike food tour in Vietnam and still the most acclaimed food tour in Vietnam. Voted 1 of the top 9 food tours in the world by Forbes magazine. Listed in Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Fodors.
*1st motorbike tour with all female drivers, providing Vietnamese women with previously unafforded opportunities to work in tourism
* 1st motorbike tour in Vietnam to provide accident insurance for all guests
* 1st tour operator in Vietnam with security/support staff following every tour
* 1st tour operator in Vietnam to provide free tour photos to every guest