Travel Tips

Common Scams in Vietnam and How to Avoid Them

Let us start with the important bit, because guides like this can leave a false impression. Vietnam is a safe country to travel in. Violent crime against tourists is rare, people are genuinely warm and helpful, and the overwhelming majority of travellers have no trouble at all. Our honest take on that is in is Vietnam safe.

What does exist, as in any country with a lot of tourism, is a set of familiar money scams. They are annoying rather than dangerous, and they follow predictable patterns. Here is what they are and how to sidestep them without spending your holiday being suspicious of everyone.

Taxi and Ride Scams

This is the most common one by a distance. The versions are an unofficial car painted to look like a known taxi firm, a meter that runs fast, a driver who takes a long route, or an airport tout who quotes a flat fare several times the going rate.

The fix is simple: use a ride-hailing app such as Grab, where the price is agreed before you get in, or use a pre-booked private transfer. If you do flag a street taxi, stick to the two established firms, Mai Linh and Vinasun, and check the meter starts afresh. Airport arrivals after a long flight are when people are most tired and most likely to accept a tout, which is exactly why a pre-arranged pickup is worth it.

The Cyclo, Shoeshine and Coconut Photo

A friendly approach, something handed to you, then a price. Someone offers a cyclo ride and the agreed fare multiplies at the end. A shoeshine starts work on your trainers before you have agreed anything. A street seller lifts their coconut yoke onto your shoulder for a photo, then asks for payment for the photo and the coconuts.

None of this is dangerous and none of it is worth an argument. The habit that prevents it is agreeing the price out loud first, and politely declining anything you did not ask for. If something is placed in your hands or on your shoulder, hand it straight back with a smile.

Motorbike Rental and Damage Claims

If you rent a scooter, the scam is a claim for pre-existing damage when you return it, sometimes backed by holding your passport. Occasionally a bike is reported as stolen and the renter is charged for it.

If you do rent, photograph and video the whole bike before you ride off, never leave your passport as a deposit, and use a rental recommended by your hotel rather than a street stall. Honestly though, Vietnamese traffic is intense and a great many visitor injuries involve rented scooters, so for most travellers a driver is the better call anyway.

Money, Change and Similar-Looking Notes

Vietnamese dong has a lot of zeros, and some notes look alike. The 20,000 and 500,000 notes are a similar colour, as are the 10,000 and 200,000. The scam is being handed the smaller note as change, or a note being swapped and handed back as you pay.

Count your change before walking away, keep large and small notes in separate pockets, and get used to the number of zeros early in the trip. Our guide to ATMs, cash and cards in Vietnam covers withdrawing and carrying money sensibly.

Street-Booked Tours and Cruises

This is the one that costs people the most. A tour or a Ha Long Bay cruise is sold cheaply from a shopfront or a hostel desk, and what arrives is a different and much lower standard of boat than the photos shown, with extras charged on board.

Ha Long Bay in particular has a very wide range of boats using similar marketing images, so the photo you are shown is not a reliable guide to what you get. Book with an operator you can check, read recent reviews, and make sure the specific boat is named in writing rather than a vague description. Our guide to what a Ha Long Bay cruise costs explains the tiers so an offer that looks too cheap is easier to spot.

Restaurant and Bar Bills

Minor but common: items appearing on a bill that you did not order, the wet wipes and peanuts on the table turning out to be chargeable, or a drinks price that differs from the menu. In a few nightlife spots, a very friendly local invites you to a bar where the bill arrives enormous.

Check the menu prices, check the bill, and be a little wary of a stranger steering you to a specific bar late at night. In ordinary restaurants this almost never happens.

The Simple Rules That Avoid Nearly All of It

Agree every price before the service starts. Use apps rather than street negotiation for rides. Count your change. Do not hand over your passport as a deposit for anything. Decline things pressed into your hands. Book the significant items, the cruise, the guides and the transfers, in advance with someone you can hold accountable.

That is genuinely the whole list, and none of it requires suspicion. The friendliness you meet in Vietnam is overwhelmingly real, and the scams are a small, predictable minority.

What This Means When You Are Planning

Look back at that list and you will notice almost every scam happens at a single moment: paying a stranger, on the spot, for something you have not arranged. Remove those moments and the risk mostly disappears.

That is not an argument against independent travel, which is entirely doable here, and our guide on whether you need a guide in Vietnam is honest about that. It is simply why pre-arranged transfers, named boats and vetted guides take so much friction out of a trip.

How We Run a Trip So This Does Not Come Up

On the trips we plan, there is no street negotiation to get wrong. Transfers are booked and waiting, the cruise is a specific named boat we have chosen and inspected, guides are people we work with regularly, and the inclusions are written down before you travel.

We are private specialists, not a tour reseller, and we choose every boat, hotel and guide on merit rather than commission, which is the whole reason we can be straight with you about which ones are worth it. We run the trip arrival to departure with an English-speaking team on hand, and we are rated five-star on Tripadvisor. Tell us your dates and we will build a tailor-made itinerary around you.

Common questions

Is Vietnam safe for tourists?

Yes. Vietnam is considered a safe country for travellers and violent crime against tourists is rare. The issues visitors meet are almost entirely money scams and petty theft such as bag snatching in busy city areas, rather than anything dangerous.

What are the most common scams in Vietnam?

Taxi scams with unofficial cars or fast meters, the cyclo and shoeshine approaches that end in a bill, motorbike rental damage claims, short-changing using similar-looking notes, and over-priced tours or cruises sold on the street.

Are taxis in Vietnam safe?

Generally yes, but use a ride-hailing app such as Grab where the fare is agreed in advance, or a pre-booked transfer. If you flag a street taxi, use an established firm such as Mai Linh or Vinasun and check the meter starts fresh.

How do you avoid being overcharged in Vietnam?

Agree the price before anything starts, count your change before walking away, keep large and small notes separate because several denominations look alike, and check restaurant bills against the menu.

Is it safe to book tours on the street in Vietnam?

It is the easiest way to be disappointed, particularly for Ha Long Bay cruises, where very different boats are marketed with similar photos. Book with an operator you can check, read recent reviews, and make sure the specific boat is named in writing.

Should you carry cash in Vietnam?

Yes, you need cash for markets, street food, smaller cafes and tipping, though cards work in hotels and larger restaurants. Carry a modest amount for the day rather than everything, and withdraw from ATMs attached to banks where you can.