Saigon Warning

Its a bit extreme asking people not to come to Vietnam though. Every country has its shares of goons, in India Eve teasing is a big problem (pillions squeezing the bums and breats of female pedestrians). in Sri Lanka the three wheel drivers are a big problem. Fair call out nevertheless

Hello doctor447,

Thanks for sharing your experience. Like you mentioned on your blog, it could have been worse. Glad that you were not injured.

Regards

Agreed with Alex... sadly there are people of poor judgement everywhere in the world. I've seen bag snatching in Rome, Madrid and London all by the same method.
Ok maybe the authorities could handle things better but tbh if your a tourist by the time they get around to processing it chances are you've left the country and claimed on your insurance.
They should however work toward trying to reduce the risk for others coming in the future.

At the end of the day like you said you weren't hurt and that's the main thing imo, material possessions can be replaced, injuries sustained can often be a lot worse.

All you can do is be aware that your a target like anyone else when visiting somewhere strange as such we often let our guards down, so try to remain vigilant and careful with possessions when we visit some where new.

And try not to judge a whole country by one senseless act, there are far more good and honest people around than not :-)

Not worth sending an email to warn me. Haven't you ever been to New York? Or any other city for that matter?

Hey Wild Wild East, have you considered that this forum isn't for your sole benefit? 

People should be aware that this happens a lot here and you can never be too careful.  The Vietnamese, as a whole, are very friendly.  It's easy to get lulled into a sense of well being and safety.  It pays not to get yourself into the position where you can be made a victim.  That runs across the entire spectrum, from business to personal.

No one is immune here and this proves it:


Two ministries had break-ins, laptop, cash stolen

Police are hunting down brazen thieves that broke into the headquarters of the Ministry of Justice in Hanoi recently, stealing big cash from the incumbent deputy justice minister and a laptop and voice recorder from another ministry.

* No one arrested

* Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Planning and Investment in Hanoi had break-ins

* Two thefts were spaced several days apart

* Justice Ministry has security camera system, under watch 24/7

* Deputy minister lost VND245 million and US$2,000 in cash

Hanoi police told Tuoi Tre that on March 18, they received news that the office room of Mr. Hoang The Lien, standing deputy minister of justice at floor 2, block N1 at 60 Tran Phu Street, Dien Bien Phu ward had signs of a break-in.

Police found that thieves (thief) took away VND245 million and US$2,000 in cash from Mr. Lien’s room.

The above sum is Lien’s personal savings and money entrusted to him by his relatives, Thanh Nien reported.

According to Thanh Nien, security staffs guard the headquarters of the justice ministry 24/7. The building also has a security camera system.

Two days earlier on March 16, police also received news that a laptop and a voice recorder worth a total VND60 million were stolen from the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

According to Thanh Nien, the place where this theft took place is a subsidiary of the ministry located in Dong Da district.


http://tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenew … en-1.25102

soory for your loss man, i got my mdplayer snatched not long after i arrived in saigon years ago.. lesson learned, i stay further inside the walk way from the road if im walking in the main street

wideawake people re looking for gud information not poems

prettyboy101 wrote:

wideawake people re looking for gud information not poems

Hi prettyboy101!

I think you can keep this type of comment for yourself!

Armand

i like it its  good to see people with a sense of humor:)

Every country has its pros & cons.

If 1 define a country by its cons, then I guess his own country aint that good too.

lostsouls wrote:

Every country has its pros & cons.

If 1 define a country by its cons, then I guess his own country aint that good too.

If you're referring to me all I can say is I base all of my decisions and opinions on both the pros and the cons.  Most of the people I know do the same thing.

I'll include this:

Songs I have written about America:0
Songs that I have written, or am writing, about Vietnam: 6

I'm also writing a screenplay about Hai Ba Trung.  I hope I have the words to describe that incredible story.

I think it would be safe to say that I am pro-Vietnam and that you haven't heard anything until you hear me talk about America's faults, which are numerous. 

Have you actually been here yet?

WideAwake wrote:

If you're referring to me all I can say is I base all of my decisions and opinions on both the pros and the cons.  Most of the people I know do the same thing.

I'll include this:

Songs I have written about America:0
Songs that I have written, or am writing, about Vietnam: 6

I'm also writing a screenplay about Hai Ba Trung.  I hope I have the words to describe that incredible story.

I think it would be safe to say that I am pro-Vietnam and that you haven't heard anything until you hear me talk about America's faults, which are numerous. 

Have you actually been here yet?

Songs & screenplays don’t mean anything to me. It’s how I feel Vietnam in my heart that makes me love this country.

I may not be residing there at the moment, but I’ve been there a number of times. My avatar & pictures contributed in this site can be shown as proof.

Cheers.

Does  not matter weather some body lives here or not every person is entitled to there own opinion .Wide awake you seem very passionate abut Vietnam keep up the good work(beautiful country)

lostsouls wrote:

WideAwake wrote:

If you're referring to me all I can say is I base all of my decisions and opinions on both the pros and the cons.  Most of the people I know do the same thing.

I'll include this:

Songs I have written about America:0
Songs that I have written, or am writing, about Vietnam: 6

I'm also writing a screenplay about Hai Ba Trung.  I hope I have the words to describe that incredible story.

I think it would be safe to say that I am pro-Vietnam and that you haven't heard anything until you hear me talk about America's faults, which are numerous. 

Have you actually been here yet?

Songs & screenplays don’t mean anything to me. It’s how I feel Vietnam in my heart that makes me love this country.

I may not be residing there at the moment, but I’ve been there a number of times. My avatar & pictures contributed in this site can be shown as proof.

Cheers.

Being a tourist and living here are 2 different things.  I'd suggest getting some real time on the ground before you criticize the opinion of a person that has lived here a while.

Cheers to you too.

prettyboy101 wrote:

Does  not matter weather some body lives here or not every person is entitled to there own opinion .Wide awake you seem very passionate abut Vietnam keep up the good work(beautiful country)

Im not criticizing him in anyway, man. I'm here to make friends!!!

I always believe a Chinese saying, "Before you say someone, think about yourself 1st".

Cheers...

WideAwake wrote:

Being a tourist and living here are 2 different things.  I'd suggest getting some real time on the ground before you criticize the opinion of a person that has lived here a while.

Cheers to you too.

As a matter of fact, I lived with a Vietnamese family, living like a Vietnamese & not in hotels & I've stayed there for some time, like you.

Im in no way criticizing you. If I had, my apologies to you.

lostsouls wrote:

WideAwake wrote:

Being a tourist and living here are 2 different things.  I'd suggest getting some real time on the ground before you criticize the opinion of a person that has lived here a while.

Cheers to you too.

As a matter of fact, I lived with a Vietnamese family, living like a Vietnamese & not in hotels & I've stayed there for some time, like you.

Im in no way criticizing you. If I had, my apologies to you.

If 1 define a country by its cons, then I guess his own country aint that good too.

I took this as a rebuke for what I initially wrote.

No harm, no foul.  PM me when you come back and we'll have coffee if you want.  I was leaving, but I had a group of angels rescue me and enable me to stick around.  Will gladly tell the story in person.

WideAwake wrote:

If 1 define a country by its cons, then I guess his own country aint that good too.

I took this as a rebuke for what I initially wrote.

No harm, no foul.  PM me when you come back and we'll have coffee if you want.  I was leaving, but I had a group of angels rescue me and enable me to stick around.  Will gladly tell the story in person.

No problem, mate... Will let you know when I'm there.

Glad to hear your still around WA, catch you around sometime ;-)

nobody has criticized anybody every person has there own opinion. i do live here so ive got some real time on the ground as you call it.

have a great weekend folks

Yeah , have a great weekend folks..Good friday tomorrow..
FORGIVE and FORGET..

More on the subject, as reported by the local news:

On March 30, the US Consulate General’s office issued a cryptic warning to US citizens living in Ho Chi Minh City.

“During the last seven months, the Mission has received reports and verified numerous instances of pick-pocketing, bag snatches, and residential break-ins targeting the expatriate community,” the statement, titled “Warden Message,” read. “Additionally, two residential guards of an expat compound were found murdered while on duty.”

The message also stated that “there have been acts of extreme violence in local nightspots frequented by expats, including District 1.” No details were provided, but Americans were advised to use “the buddy system” in the city.

Since then Thanh Nien Weekly has tried to verify the crimes, without success.

But the reports appear to have alarmed and confused the city’s community of foreigners.

Representatives from the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam broached the subject during a meeting with the People’s Committee on Wednesday, according to a few individuals in attendance.

The Vice Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee said they would look into the matter.

Several other members of consular staff, around the city, expressed incredulity and even doubt that an uptick in crime against expatriates is underway.

Officials at both the British and the Canadian Consulate-Generals denied having noted a significant increase in crime against citizens living in HCMC.

The US Consulate General declined to elaborate on its March 30 statement. Instead, it directed the paper’s attention to the An Phu Neighbor’s list serve – an e-mail group, mostly utilized by expatriates selling furniture and motorbikes.

Lately, some of the list serve users have been chattering about organizing some sort of expatriate neighborhood patrol or a campaign to raise awareness about the problem.

Others seem eager to set up citizen stings or some other brand of vigilante justice.

A Canadian property developer, who insisted on anonymity, shared an unofficial crime database he’d helped compile. He had been robbed, at home and on the street, on three occasions, during his four years in Vietnam.

The file chronicles 66 cases of alleged crimes, many unreported to local police, that range from unsuccessful phone and bag snatchings to a single home invasion robbery that involved a knife, hand ties and an hour-long standoff with the police that ended in arrest.

He advised that the reports had been registered, in English and French, over the list serve. All names and other identifying materials had been blocked. No one was willing to share details of their story.

The earliest recorded case occurred in February 2010 (an iPhone theft at a compound in Thao Dien) and concluded with a purse snatching, this month, in the same, well-heeled District 2 neighborhood.

A number of long-time expats seemed resigned to the phenomenon of brazen, two-man, motorbike purse snatch-and-grab teams and fantastically nimble  cat burglars as a natural part of the urban landscape. Indeed, “motorbike cowboys” have been written about as a “hazard and annoyance” of living in the city by travel guides and foreigners since the mid-nineties.

Police, around town, provided vague and inconsistent reports on the subject.

Nguyen Thanh Tam, the Police Chief in District 2’s An Phu Ward said he was only aware of a single case of crime against expatriates – a Frenchman who’d had a motorbike stolen out of his front yard.

“I think there are many such cases in nearby Thao Dien Ward, where more foreigners live,” he said.

During a recent visit, no official brass were on hand to answer questions, but a uniformed officer on duty acknowledged that criminals in the area were focusing on foreigners, who are perceived as being wealthy.

And they are.

Many of the foreign-occupied homes and villas in District 2 are surrounded by prison-sized walls lined with spikes and razor wire.

In the grittier environs of District 1’s backpacker area, known as Pham Ngu Lao, Ward Police Chief Nguyen Huu Tai said they’ve seen an uptick in crime (all camera, wallet and phone snatchings), since the end of the Lunar New Year, in February.

He noted three cases in which concerned citizens, police and members of the youth brigade had subdued the thieves and returned lost property to tourists, on the spot.

Tai said he and his men have been coordinating with the local People’s Committee to distribute leaflets about how to protect one’s valuables to restaurants, hotels and rental homes throughout the area.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Nhat Thanh, chief of the District 1 crime branch said they’ve mounted mobile patrols to crack down on out-of-towners preying on hapless foreign tourists and have stepped up patrols during the early evening hours, when the streets are still crowded.

He said there have been 19 reported cases of theft against foreigners, so far this year. Twenty one suspects have been arrested.

“The situation has become complicated due to an emergence of ‘amateur’ robbers,” Thanh said. “Honestly, we could manage the ‘professional’ robbers well and busted all of them. Most of them had been arrested, jailed or forced to rehab centers. The ‘amateur’ include drug users and some youngsters who just want to mess around. Some have other work, mostly as day laborers and just go around trying to snatch bags during their free time.”

One long-time English expat – who has lived in HCMC for ten years – scratched his head at it all.

None of the crimes seemed particularly new to him. Nor did they seem to be particularly remarkable.

He no longer wears a watch because his last one had been stolen after his noodles had been spiked. He no longer wears a chain around his neck because his last one had been stolen by a male prostitute after his motorcycle broke down one night, on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street.

When he talks on the phone, he takes cover next to a heavy object, to prevent anyone from snatching it off his ear.

In the end, though, he feels safe in Saigon.

“You’re talking about a city  of eight to ten million people,”  he said.
Reported by Calvin Godfrey – Minh Hung

http://www.vnnnews.net/expats-clamor-over-crime


He noted three cases in which concerned citizens, police and members of the youth brigade had subdued the thieves and returned lost property to tourists, on the spot.

Bravo to the Vigilantes!

For the record, I have lived in inner-city Cleveland, Ohio(USA) and now live in the Pham Ngu Lao ward.  Cleveland is at least 100 times worse!

dear doctor 447,
i would like to thank u for putting up the post... it is good to share information like this.. in fact, the place tat u mentioned isnt far from where i stay so i do appreciate ur warning...
i feel tat it is good to share info like this because ultimately it is for the good of everyone.. thx.. (pls dun be put off by the remakes posted by others cos not all of us come from crime-ridden cities such as those in the states) so every bit of advice is appreciated. thanks