Foreign tourists still ripped off in Vietnam

Not long after a Thai tourist had been forced to pay VND10 million (around US$500) for a 6-kg fish at a fishing village in Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Tuoi Tre received waves of reports on similar scams in tourism hotspots all around the country.

Many foreign tourists visiting Vietnam have continued to be disturbed by local beggars, street vendors, and even worse -- ripped off by taxi drivers and restaurants. A local vendor inviting foreign tourists to buy goods at Thua Thien-Hue city-based Dong Ba market, Photo: Tuoi Tre Not long after a Thai tourist had been forced to pay VND10 million (around US$500) for a 6-kg fish at a fishing village in Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh, Tuoi Tre received waves of reports on similar scams in tourism hotspots all around the country. Huynh Cong Hieu, for instance, a tour guide working for the company Saigontourist, said a foreign visitorhad told him that he was ripped off by a taxi driver, who charged him VND900,000 ($43.2) for a route of less than 2 kilometers - from Ben Thanh Market to Saigon Port, last December. “The tourist had since been frightened by the taxi drivers, and had to ask me to hail a taxi for him, to avoid being overcharged again,” said Hieu. Cao Tri Dung, director of Da Nang-based Vitours travel agency, said one of his Japanese partners had been taken around downtown HCMC downtown for 45 minutes, while he only needed to travel from Ben Thanh Market to Suong Nguyet Anh Street, only 1km away. “The driver then charged him VND300,000 ($14), ten times higher than the real cost,” said Dung. Similarly, Hung, a freelance tour guide, said he once witnessed a foreign backpacker being forced to have his shoes polished by two shoeblacks in Hanoi. “Upon receiving the shoes which had been sparsely polished, the foreign man paid the two VND10,000,” recalled Hung. “However, the shoeblacks then became aggressive and repeatedly insulted him, forcing him pay them VND100,000.” For her part, Bui Viet Thuy Tien, director of Asian Trails travel agency, said many of her customers had complained that they were upset by the fact that they still had to pay for the food at high prices that would not be out of place at a European restaurant, though they were traveling in Vietnam. Some tourists said they had to buy the iced coconuts from the street vendors at $2 each, which is five times higher than the normal price. While tourists said such a rip-off is quite acceptable since they bought the fruits on the street, they said it indeed irritated them to be similarly overcharged in large restaurants. “Tourists have been introduced to Vietnamese foods that are delicious, nutritious, and cheap, but what they really experience in the country is totally the opposite,” said Tien. “Many tourists complained that they had to pay as much as $70 for a meal for two in a restaurant in HCMC,” said Duc Tuan, a freelance tour guide. Meanwhile, Le Dinh Tuan, CEO of Viet Excursions, said his tourism boat carrying foreign tourists on excursions in Ha Long Bay have repeatedly been disturbed by women carrying children stepping on board to beg for money. They would not get off the boats until they received some money, said Tuan, adding his companies have received a huge number of complaints about this. “We have reported the issue to the management board of Ha Long Bay, as well as the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Quang Ninh, but nothing has ever changed,” lamented Tuan. “Thus, we have decided to stop sending tourist boats to Ha Long as of this April.”