Destinations › Vietnam › Nha Trang › Scams
Nha Trang, Vietnam
14 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Nha Trang, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Bills in the beachfront bars carrying rounds and covers that were not ordered, with staff gathering at the table when the total is questioned.
Taxis liveried to imitate the established metered fleets, with meters running several times faster than the legitimate rate, working the airport road and the beachfront.
Reader overlays on street cash machines along the beachfront, and cards taken out of sight to be processed at bar and restaurant counters.
Motorbike hire with passports retained as deposit and damage claimed on return for pre-existing marks.
Airport taxis quoting flat rates several times the app price, and city taxis with fast-running or modified meters.
Seafood restaurants on the beachfront with unpriced menus, where the per-kilo rate is confirmed only after the bill arrives and disputes are met with obstruction.
Men presenting as police stopping foreign scooter riders for licence and helmet infractions and settling on an immediate cash payment rather than a written notice.
Massage and spa services with additional charges disclosed only at the end.
Imitation branded goods and 'bird's nest' products sold as genuine at tourist prices.
Bag snatching from the back of motorbikes along the beachfront road.
Shortchanging on large dong notes, exploiting the number of zeros, and refusal to give change to force a rounded-up fare.
Boat and island tours sold at hotels that omit entry fees and lunch, collected in cash once the group has departed.
Collectors with donation books and laminated documentation working the beachfront restaurant terraces.
Men attaching themselves to visitors at the temple and tower sites, presenting a fee once the walk is over.
