Destinations › Vietnam › Ho Chi Minh City › Scams
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
18 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Ho Chi Minh City, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Card skimming at street cash machines, and cards removed from the table to be processed out of sight in tourist-area venues.
Bills in central-district bars carrying rounds and covers that were never ordered, with the total defended by staff presence rather than by an itemised recount.
Motorbike hire where the passport is held as the deposit and released only against payment for damage that was on the bike before it was rented.
Taxis liveried to imitate the established metered fleets, with meters running several times faster than the legitimate rate, working the airport approach and the central district.
Unmetered or rigged-meter taxis around Ben Thanh Market and District 1 charge multiples of the standard fare — stick to reputable company markings.
Street vendors and taxi drivers shortchanging tourists paying with similar-looking dong denominations (easy to confuse given the number of zeros).
Open-tour coach tickets sold by operators trading under a name close to an established company's, for a departure that is not held or is resold on.
Drivers steering arriving passengers to accommodation and shops that pay them a commission, presented as a recommendation rather than a paid referral.
Guesthouses trading under a name almost identical to a well-reviewed one nearby, taking the booking that was meant for the other and delivering considerably less.
Delta and tunnel day tours sold by agencies imitating the names of established operators, running with a larger group, a longer coach leg and shopping stops that were not part of the sale.
Dating-app matches inviting tourists to a specific bar that charges heavily inflated "hostess" drink prices.
Bag-snatching by motorbike passengers targeting phones and bags held near the curb on busy District 1 streets.
Collectors working restaurant terraces and market entrances with a donation book and laminated documentation that cannot be traced to a registered charity.
Men attaching themselves to visitors outside the central museums and palace grounds, narrating unasked and presenting a fee at the end.
Vendors at markets like Ben Thanh selling low-quality goods at aggressively inflated tourist prices.
Restaurants in tourist areas rounding bills up or adding unlisted service charges without itemization.
Organized begging groups, sometimes using children kept out of school, target tourists in busy areas.
Street shoe-shiners in District 1 grab a foot and start polishing before the tourist can decline, then demand payment.
