Destinations › Laos › Luang Prabang › Scams
Luang Prabang, Laos
12 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Luang Prabang, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Laos–China Railway tickets resold by street agents at a markup, or sold for trains that are already full.
Rice sold to visitors at the dawn alms procession at inflated prices and of poor quality, in an offering that is a religious act rather than a transaction.
Drivers steering passengers to textile and silver outlets that pay them per head, offered as a stop on the way to the waterfalls.
Bills on the riverside and main tourist street carrying rounds that were not ordered, with the total defended rather than itemised.
Men presenting as police stopping foreign scooter riders for licence and helmet infractions, settling on an immediate cash payment rather than a written notice.
Bicycle and scooter hire with damage claimed on return and passports retained as deposit.
Change given in a mixture of kip, baht and dollars at rates well below the market.
Slow-boat and minibus tickets sold through guesthouses for services that are overbooked, downgraded, or leave from a different point.
Machine-printed textiles sold as hand-embroidered Hmong work at the night market.
Tuk-tuk trips to the waterfalls where a per-vehicle price agreed at the start becomes per person on arrival.
Collectors with laminated documentation and a donation book working the night market and the restaurant terraces.
Undisclosed charges added to bills on the main tourist street.
