AVOID THE MOST COMMON SCAMS IN HANOI,VIETNAM
Most of the Vietnamese are friendly and hospitality but travel scam may occur anywhere in the world. Please be aware of this and do not let the scams ruin your holiday.
Please see below for the most common scams in Hanoi/Vietnam and find how to avoid
- Motorbike taxi scam (Xeom):
Some motorbike “taxi” might approach you with an offer, which they claim is cheaper than normal taxi. But in fact, they take you for a longer route and demand huge sums of money.
How to avoid: ask for the exact price before riding on or you should take a trustworthy taxi
- Taxi scam:
Taxis are known for taking the long way around. In addition, they tend to use a modified meter, which runs faster, thus allowing them to increase the fare. There are some driver who demand tips and some who claim to take shortcuts but are in fact longer routes.
To avoid this, you should get a taxi of trustworthy companies, such as Mai Linh taxi in Hanoi - Cross the road in chaotic traffic of Hanoi:
In many visitor’s eyes, the traffic in Hanoi is quite chaotic and in rush hour the roads are mega-loaded with cars,scooters, bicycles, cyclos, buses, and even some three-wheelers. It is hard to escape the elemental conversation on “how best to cross the street?”. Here are some tips:
+ Enlist the help of a local. Vietnamese people are very friendly and most are more than happy to help you cross the road.
+ Do not run, walk slowly with purpose and don’t dart through traffic. Head in a straight line and look at the incoming traffic. Unlike home where the traffic won’t move for you, traffic in Vietnam will flow around you.
+ Be relaxed and self-confident and do not step back. - Price scam
You may enter a restaurant without price list, it is better to ask for price before order. And before shopping item, please note to make clear of currency unit you will pay, it is Vietnam dong or USD?
- Changes scam
If you are paying for a low price item, avoid handing over big denominations. Then you may receive the wrong change or the seller will tell you they do not have enough change.
To avoid this, please prepare change before buying and carefully checking as receiving change
- Booking tour
There are a lot of booking tour agent in Hanoi Old quarter and sometimes you may wonder which one you should choose. It is better to check online review of the tour before booking. Tripadvisor is a trustworthy source for your reference
7. In the end
We hope the above information is useful. If you have a chance to visit Hanoi, please see our Hanoi Travel Tips for more information and please do not forget Paloma motorbike tour – a perfect mix of food and culture. Even you have taken city tour by bus, taxi or food tour on foot, Paloma Hanoi night light food tour with young ladies driver is unique Hanoi experience you can not afford to miss
