10 Scams in Vietnam and How to Avoid Them | Vietnam Travel Guide

10 good reasons NOT to go to Vietnam.

Hi, do the ride-hailing apps Be, Gojek and Grab accept cash payment? Thanks.

Taxi's trying to talk you into going to random hotels is nuts. Oh the hotel you paid for online is not there anymore! Seriously?

I love the tips🌹😜👍🏼👍🏼

Great video! Thank you very much for your great tips! 😍

Yeah I was scam on the taxi driver of SGD100 just in front of me when asking me for a small change for gantry

Thank you so much for sharing this valuable info.

Too many ads for services. I would suggest sticking to one sponsor.

In Bhutan. There are no scammers. It’s illegal to charge you extra. And even you can walk alone at night where ever you go with gold chain or diamond. It’s safe😊🎉🎉🎉🎉

great 😊

You did include massage and tips.

Thank you so much. I will prepare everything you suggest.

I hate to admit it but we got scammed by the coconut guy in Ho Chi Minh on our very 1st Vietnam visit. Just so you all know this guy would not take no for an answer. He wouldn't stop following us until we carried his goods on that bamboo pole with a basket on each end, If there is a name for that please tell me. Anyway he was selling coconut first he let us carry and take pictures then he cut 2 coconuts and we paid through the nose. So like the lady says, if you want a coconut ask the price, pay the price then walk on. I still love Vietnam, we are going back in FEB 2024 this will be our 4th time. FYI we only got scammed that 1 time. Thanks for the refresher.

Is everything close during tet in HCMC

Thx for youre informative video. Traveling to Vietnam the fist time in march :D
Greetings from Vienna - Austria / Europe

In fact in this video you told us to avoid visiting this beautiful country where so many miserable people live.

Thank you so much.... I'll look you up when I visit

Thank you you are smart and beautiful.

Thanks Van! I enjoy your channel and all the tips. I leave for HCMC in Feb. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for the scams you mentioned.

I visited Vietnam in 2011 and despite the trash I saw in some areas of Hanoi, I liked the country so much that I said to my self that I will return one day, because there are some many beautiful places to see. And this will happen in April 2024 !

When planning a trip to Vietnam, exercise caution when booking hotels online, particularly with Agoda. They have been known to provide rooms that do not match the images displayed during the booking process

Van, you are good. Thanks for all these good advises. This is why I am scared to travel, though I want to see Vietnam.

It happened to me also at the Time Sqr. I live here and still fell for i/. 😂

Too many scams to worry about. We’ll just vacation elsewhere.

Foreigners should be aware that it's illegal to drive a motorbike with more than 50 CC without a Vietnamese driver license. Police in Danang especially target non-Asian looking people (and even Asians if they're obviously not Vietnamese) driving motorbikes and will pull them over just based on their skin color. I had a local friend who used to rent motorbikes to tourists quit because the police confiscated the bikes, many of which weren't even registered to the leaser. Take Grab, better safe than sorry.

There is the shoe scam. The first time I went to Vietnam I thought the two men were honest shoe shine men. They were not. They wanted the equivalent of $24 to clean my shoes after they invited themselves to clean my shoes without my permission. I gave them some money but not the equivalent of $24. I was there for the 3rd time fully well aware. This time I bought a brand new pair of Nike sneakers. In the following days at least two times men approached me bend down touch my Nike saying they are dirty. And about to pull out a bottle to clean my shoes. I told them my shoes are brand new I just bought them two days ago. The worst is when they convinced a Korean man to clean his shoes while they removed it from his feet. I told the man that is a scam. He clearly looked distressed but it was too late. Also watch out for the taxis. In Hanoi one taxi driver told me 200,000 for basically a 10-minute ride which is about the cost of at least a 30-minute ride. Others will use the meter but when come time to pay they want to give you less than the change due you. That's why it helps to carry some small bills so the taxi drivers are not tempted to keep some of your change when you pay the fare.

We both don't like "Micky Mouse"..and is a good thing :)

What do Vietnamese think today about the Vietnam war and all the kids from Americans left behind?do Vietnamese resent America and the war? Is Vietnamese a capitalist society ? Is there freedom of speech? Does the USA military have any presence in Vietnam now ? Or is it Russian military and communism still the favorite government style? I personally think that Vietnam is a beutiful country and its people .
Are there any USA soldiers left over in Vietnam from that war?

Your videos are great! But when you show us the name of the taxi companies, you show it for about 0.7 seconds, it’s too short to write down. 🙏

Glad to see you are back on YT. It's been 25 years ago since I visited the motherland, but these scams are still prevalent in 2024. It's a big shame on the country.

Thank you for all this usefull information. It is extra info for the trip i am planning.😊

Well you look very hot

Here is the biggest advice for all: do not travel to Vietnam.
Save yourself a lot of headache and frustrated. Go some where else to give you comfort, relax and respect, like Thailand, Indonesia or Singapore, Taiwan...
Do you know why there are a lot of robbers in VN? Because Vietnamese government is the biggest one of all.

Thank you. Those advices are very helpful.

Avoiding scams in Vietnam? It's nearly impossible. Almost the whole society operating based generally on dishonesty, deceiving, greed, etc. It's not the fault of the citizen by nature, but from the deceiving, selfish and corrupt totalitarian government of nearly half a century. They make this mould. Of course, you - as a tourist - can encounter scams in any country, more or less. But in Vietnam, expect it is ten times more frequent/levels. Even the local Vietnamese have to put up with that (they've often complaint about those scams on newspapers, social media, every day). Scams, cheating, harassments of customers have become the norm. Thieves, thugs, bag & phone snatchers, and nasty people are every where. You'd be very lucky for encountering just one scam when visiting Vietnam. Beware, beware and beware. I'm talking from a perspective angle as an overseas Vietnamese who knows Vietnam society very well and have visited Vietnam many times.

Hello! I’m booking an Airbnb for our trip in March and was wondering is it customary for the host to ask for passport photos of everyone staying in the Airbnb?

After this I'll just stay home 😊

Has anyone used sea travel, are they legit?

Makes me not wanna go anymore😂

Con 3 we nói xấu tổ quốc

I experienced almost all scams talked on the video,the coconut man,the lady with children the over price etc...when we are alone for the first time can be overwhelming cause dont speak tbe language and all,so the best is a guide and theres a lot in Vietnam.
First time is like overwhelming,second time we already know the secrets so the scams dont stick anymore,just need to be careful with pickpockets,there are a lot in Vietnam and mostly on motorbikes/scooters,locals get stolen so imagine tourists...
Me personally never had any problems (married to a vietnamese)...my problem was first time there,eating soup for breakfast at 30 degrees Celsius and crossing the streets for the first time 🤣

As Indonesians, and coincidentally, we have the same time zone, to be exact, as my hometown. Thanks to you, I have a little knowledge about scamming in your country. Someday I want to travel to Vietnam to complete my wish list.

I'd like to mention the opposite experience I had in Hanoi last year, where I found a fantastic place selling Bun Cha. The price was insanely low (even with a beer). I tried very hard to offer a tip, and it took about 5 people to confirm that they were allowed to take it. Went back a few days later and went through the exact same process!

Hi Van!

Don’t feel bad talking about this scams in Vietnam. These kinds of scams happened to many other countries such as Europe and South America

Good luck! The whole f king VN governments are king of scam

2. - do NOT use a taxi, especially from the airport, use GRAB.. (1/3 of the price you hear from taxi driver at the airport and harder to be scammed as price is known when you select your destination, so no driving you around or to any other place) and use app on your phone, not a guy with a badge from GRAB offering to help you to book a ride - they are scammers with fake app looking the same as real app, just with a "special" price
5. - do not carry your original documents with you, carry a copy
11. - bar girls (not only from girly bars, waitress from more pub like bars also counts and they are even more dangerous as less expected) - they just want your money (similar to Thailand, but their baiting methods are less obvious and you might believe it's for real), never believe them, they like to tell you what you want to hear

thanks for the info, the bike rental one is crazy