How to Avoid Being Scammed in Hanoi, Vietnam
Tweet
First and foremost you should know that traveling in Vietnam is tough. What do I mean by “tough”? Well, you see the problem I found with Vietnam and Hanoi especially is that it’s very tough to trust anyone. Not just the people but the accommodations, travel agencies, restaurants, and more. The problem with Hanoi is that EVERYTHING is faked and it’s sometimes incredibly hard to figure out what’s legit and what’s not.
When it comes to scams and ripoffs Hanoi is much different than Cairo, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and other cities that I’ve visited along the way. Of course all of these major destinations have the scammers and the bad guys but as far as Vietnam goes it seems as if Hanoi houses most of these people.
We arrived in Hanoi after a painstaking 28-hour bus ride from Vientiane and I couldn’t help but feel that I had some sort of imaginary wall built up around me. Unfortunately, this imaginary wall made it hard for me to open up like I had in previous cities. In order to make your next trip to Hanoi, Vietnam a little bit easier, I’ve compiled a list of tips that should enable you to open up and experience this big, bustling city with minimal issues.
Hotels:
Be extremely careful when choosing your accommodations in Hanoi. Rogue hotels and guesthouses are popping up everywhere under the same exact names as the real ones. Your best bet would be to find the official website of a legit hotel or guesthouse online and check their contact page to find out where exactly they’re located.
Forget using your Lonely Planet to find a place in Hanoi. I made my way over to a few of the hotels listed in the Lonely Planet Guidebook and all of them were absolute dives. For best results head over to Wikitravel: Hanoi – Sleep.
Tour Agencies:
Shop around a bit before you book that trip to Ha Long Bay or Sapa. Due to the fact that fake tour agencies are literally popping up all over the city this makes it hard to trust your local travel agent.
The best example of this is the infamous “Sinh Cafe” which in fact used to be Vietnam’s most popular and most reputable tour agency. Now that somewhere between 30 and 40 FAKE “Sinh Cafe’s” have popped up around the city, the REAL one had to change it’s name to the “The Sinh Tourist“. Put it this way, I walked out of my hotel in Hanoi (which had a fake Sinh Cafe downstairs) and as I turned left down the street I counted FIVE Sinh Cafe’s. All of them were fakes.
This poses a problem because the fake Sinh Cafe’s will provide you with lower quality accommodations, and maybe even a boat made out of cardboard for your trip out to Ha Long Bay. If that’s not bad enough the agency may even throw you onto buses that have dangerous driving records and outrageous accident statistics just to increase their profit margin. It’s just not worth it!
Ask yourself this question. Would you want to book with an agency that sets up shop and just throws up a sign advertising it’s one of the most reputable agencies in Vietnam? Of course not!
My best piece of advice is to check out the Official Sinh Tourist Website to find out their two REAL locations in Hanoi.
Restaurants:
For the most part you should have no problems eating out in Hanoi. The only issue I had was the fact that once again, a popular restaurant in Hanoi has been duplicated! The Kangaroo Cafe which serves as an excellent Aussie-style restaurant and also a place to book your next trip. The only problem is that there are two Kangaroo Cafe’s in town that I know of, and only ONE of them is real. Both have signs out front stating “The REAL Kangaroo Cafe — Don’t accept any substitutes!”. How do they get away with this?
Like I said, generally speaking you should be fine when eating out. If you’re into traditional Vietnamese food head on over to one of the hundreds of street stalls that sell the ever popular “Pho” (pronounced: FAH).
There’s also good western style food like Pepperoni’s, Alfresco’s, and The Kangaroo Cafe. As for coffee be sure to check out any one of the Highlands Coffee joints around town. Not only do they do great sandwiches but they also do traditional Vietnamese “slow drip” coffee that Liz highly recommends!
19 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- Tweets that mention How to Avoid Being Scammed in Hanoi, Vietnam | Pause The Moment | Around The World Travel Blog -- Topsy.com - [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Singapore Getaways, Ryan. Ryan said: Avoid being Scammed in Hanoi, Vietnam. Imitation ...
- Best travel blogs – our 25 favourites « 101 Holidays blog - [...] We love the scope of Ryan’s blog – check out How to Save Enough Money to Travel the World. ...
Great heads up!!!
My recent post Europe- Day 3 Part 1
Thanks Andi!
I've definitely heard about the scams in Hanoi – thanks for really putting some details around this. I've been worried about the Ha Long Bay booking- this helps a lot.
Glad you enjoyed the article. Please do me a favor and share this with your friends by StumbleUpon, Facebook, Twitter, etc! Thanks a bunch. Hope to hear from you again soon.
Thanks for the info here. We've just arrived in Cambodia and are headed through Vietnam at the end of the week. Good to find quality info about upcoming destinations.
-Travis
My recent post Photo Of The Day – Prayer at the Lama Temple
No problem. I'm hear to share my experiences and tips so that the future travelers can experience smoother travel!
Great info guys…we will be sure to have your post highlighted for when we make it down to that part of the world for our trip. Sneaky little fellas, aren't they!!??
Thanks a bunch. Bookmark it, share it, retweet it, facebook it, and whatever else you want to do with it. Feel free! ;) No, more like blatant little fellas! LOL
Your dead on with your tough description. You have to constantly be aware of the scams, and everything is counterfeit! Even in the metered taxis we hopped in ones that went different speeds, and going to the same mall area gave us 6 hugely different prices.
My recent post Booking Halong Bay- The right way
So true Scott! I've heard of that meter trick, although I've never actually experienced it. We tended to avoid taxis as much as possible during our trip unless absolutely necessary. We walked a hell of a lot!
hi We had the same experiences in Vietnam- everyone is on
the scam, even the govt! they design all the money to look similar-
10 and 10 000 notes are both shades of green etc and we had the
same Sihn cafe debarcle. also be aware of CHRONIC habitual short
changing, you will be given a 100 in stead of 10 000 notes etc..
ALWAYS check your money
Been in Hanoi 2 days and sad to see the level of scams going on, the article above is spot on. Was aware of this when booking so went with ‘footprint travel’ who are absolutely 1st class. You might be paying a little more but they look after everything. Off to Sapa and Halong bay tomorrow with them. On our 2 free days we have been touring old town and French quarter, which was great to experience. By far the biggest scam was in the shopping centre at Hanoi Tower. The lady in the handicrafts stall (phuong thanh) was very heavy handed and practically bullied customers into buying. If this happens to you, you must be strong and just leave. The worst you can get is a stern look. Better that than leave with a bad taste in the mouth. One thing I noticed is that shops do not accept notes that are slightly deformed in the corner around the transparent paper. Figure that one out. Anyway, its not all doom and gloom. Vietnam can be extremely culturally rewarding and the people there just need to see you smile to know you’re friendly, then they respond in kind. Recommend restaurant: Quan An Ngon – excellent Vietnamese cuisine.
Maybe the Communist Party can take a break from focusing on enriching themselves, their spawns and the corporate capitalist cronies..and clean up this mess….but they wont and they cant because they are fake, phony frauds themselves… disgusted in Hanoi now..
You are right…Ive been in Vietnam for 2 weeks with Hanoi being my last stop. I am alone and 75 and while i’ve had a few good moments in Saigon and Hue and enjoyed the beach at Hoi An..I was worried that I was becoming increasingly paranoid on this trip. I am still here in Hanoi at the computer because I’m tired of going out and facing these jokes..AND i was a merchant seaman a us soldier a teacher and traveller and iv’e lived in thailand for 5 years…Yes you are right . Something is up and it can’t be just me…Thanks I googled Hanoi scams just to work this feeling off…I AM NOT NUTS!
I am Singaporean. I was there a few weeks ago and I learned the hard way. Although Vietnam is only a few hours away from Singapore by plane, the first impression of this city had already ruined everything.
1) The Travel Agent
I made a huge mistake of booking through a travel agent on the web thinking it is ok to book in advance and they picked me up at the airport. I booked a trip to Sapa with the agency by the way. I thought it was going to be the most perfect trip ever since it was booked almost a year ago and I was pretty sure they had everything planned for me. When I reach Sapa, the driver dropped me off the wrong hotel (the nightmare begins here) and I had to walk up and down hills with my heavy bag to get to my right hotel. I had no mood whatsoever to join the tour on the first day which was pre-booked a year ago. I emailed them using the hotel’s computer regarding my ordeal. As soon as I was resting in my room, someone knocked on my room door and told me my tour guide is waiting outside for my trek to some village in Sapa. AHH..A MIRACLE. I thought. The agency in Hanoi had contacted representative in Sapa to pick me up.
Here’s the thing, the agency in Hanoi did not even write anything about the meet up point. The meet up point is the most important information but the agency missed that out. I highlighted it to them through an email but they all can offer me is a stupid breakfast when I get back to Hanoi when I asked for a partial refund for causing such inconvenience. Later on I learned from a fellow traveler whom I met said that never ever to book in advance especially on the web.
By the way, do you know that when I got back to Hanoi from Sapa, the tour guide who picked me up screamed at me for God knows what reason? I guessed shouting and screaming is part of being a Vietnamese.
2) The Student/Artist Scam
I ever read about this scam on Lonely Planet but didn’t expect this to happen to me. I was walking around Hanoi and snapping some pictures. Moments later a lady whose age is 25 years old tapped me on my shoulder and said hello. She claimed to be a student helping disable kids. She took a few documents and her student pass which I doubt was real. She said it will not take much money to donate. How much is not much money. She was really annoying cos she kept asking for money. I told her I am not going to donate a single amount. Guess what she did? She screamed and shouted at my face and hell yeah my balls shrank. I walked off feeling petrified and she tried to follow me for a few minutes. I turned back and she walked to a different direction. I didnt know people seeking charity will act in that manner.
Do we use our credits cards when we check in a hotel or just pay cash?
Depends on how much your CC exchange fees are and how much cash you’re willing to carry around. If you have a lot of money with you and get robbed, you’d better have a plan B for paying your way – other forums I’ve read recommend diversifying your funding options between traveler’s checks, cash, and debit and credit cards.
If you decide to do the really touristy two-seater in the front attached to a bike in the back where they push you around the city, expect to have the negotiated rate raised at the end of the trip when you’re paying. They’ll ask for 100,000 VND, and you can easily get it down to 50,000 since these guys are everywhere, and they don’t even push you that far, and in the end, will ask for 10,000 over the negotiated price. Other vendors will come in and tell you that you should pay whatever amount he asks, and if you want to avoid trouble, you’ll have to just suck it up and pay it. This city’s poorer than the southern cities, so the people are vicious – plus foreigners and tourists are easy targets. Stay sharp.
Thanks for the tips D!