Warning Tips for someone visiting Ho Chi Minh

Vietnam is not much different than many other countries.  If you've travelled abroad before, then you should've/would've known about the normal tips and precautions -- have your phone unlocked before your departure if you plan to buy a local SIM, keep your belongings close to your body, watch out for rogue taxis, drink bottled water, keep small bills and large bills in different pockets, etc.

Unlike the gypsies in Rome, the smartphone peddlers in Napoli, the gemstone "distributors" in India and Thailand, the gift givers throughout Europe, the helpful "tour guides" in Central and South America, the Gucci's bag sellers in New York, the fake cops in Mexico, etc., there isn't a particular scam that scream out "You're in Vietnam now!"

Just be aware of your surroundings, don't fall for a beautiful woman, don't go to karaoke bars, and just because beer is cheap, don't get drunk.

Trax77 wrote:

Ill be in Ho Chi Minh from 9-29 until 10-7.

Any advice/warnings/common scams you can give me as it is my first time in Vietnam?

Much Appreciated!

Beware of people who are not willing to spend the time searching this forum for information that has already been posted

The only thing I can recall that happened to me personally is a taxi that had a rigged meter years ago. The fare was increasingly at an abnormally fast rate, so I told the driver to stop and let me out, then paid him whatever it said. We hadn't traveled very far.

Another thing that is still around are the shoeshine boys in the main tourist area. Apparently, some of them will damage your shoe then stick some glue on it and try to charge you some absurd amount.

Overcharging can of course happen both when buying something outside from a vendor or at a market (no price tags, you need to haggle/bargain) or in restaurants (check your bill carefully). Also, always check your change whatever the situation, especially when paying with a 500k đồng note. Make sure you don't get confused between 500k & 20k đồng notes and 200k & 10k đồng notes in the dark. The colors are somewhat similar at a glance. It's also a good idea to keep some small denomination notes stuck in various places like a money clip, your phone case, etc. for situations where you only have a 500k note in your wallet.

it's good to have a currency converter app on your phone. I use the one from XE. Use your calculator to double check the total when buying multiple items, if you can't do math well in your head. Watch out for your phone or bag getting snatched, kind of like that scene in Full Metal Jacket (but not really).

Anyway, there are a bunch of videos on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ … etnam+scam

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Trax77 wrote:

Ill be in Ho Chi Minh from 9-29 until 10-7.

Any advice/warnings/common scams you can give me as it is my first time in Vietnam?

Much Appreciated!

Beware of people who are not willing to spend the time searching this forum for information that has already been posted

This forum really wouldn't be bad if there weren't such useless and arrogant comments that you spread here in every second thread.
For some inexplicable reason you seem to think you're the king here, even though you've only been here a year based on your profile. And the worst part is, you're also getting credit from some here.
Maybe this forum is all you (and apparently some others) have left for the rest of your life.

AkaMaverick wrote:

OceanBeach92107 wrote:

Trax77 wrote:

Ill be in Ho Chi Minh from 9-29 until 10-7.

Any advice/warnings/common scams you can give me as it is my first time in Vietnam?

Much Appreciated!

Beware of people who are not willing to spend the time searching this forum for information that has already been posted

This forum really wouldn't be bad if there weren't such useless and arrogant comments that you spread here in every second thread.
For some inexplicable reason you seem to think you're the king here, even though you've only been here a year based on your profile. And the worst part is, you're also getting credit from some here.
Maybe this forum is all you (and apparently some others) have left for the rest of your life.

...and you seem to think it's your responsibility to police me as I live out my meaningless ethereal life.

Mirror, Mirror on The Wall...

The currency can be somewhat tricky for first timers.
I would suggest that you keep your bills in sequence , from big to small, it's easier when paying for something. as previously stated, perhaps keep bigger bills in a separate pocket, I believe the 20 k and 500 k notes are quite similar, make sure the seller acknologes the denomination as you hand it to him.

in the first time you come in VietNam. i have 3 tip for you
1. as another people's advice, you should buy a local sim in vietnam. these are viettel sim, mobifone or vinaphone.
2.  install grab app on smartphone to move by car or bike
3. carefully with phone crobbery on the street

inbox me if you have any question . you welcome

minhvocaomedia wrote:

in the first time you come in VietNam. i have 3 tip for you
1. as another people's advice, you should buy a local sim in vietnam. these are viettel sim, mobifone or vinaphone.
2.  install grab app on smartphone to move by car or bike
3. carefully with phone crobbery on the street

inbox me if you have any question . you welcome

Buying a sim for a short term visit is a waste of $$. If you’re going to take a taxi, look for VinaSun or Mai Linh. So what if you’re paying a dollar or two more. Consider it as tip. People have to make a living some how. I get scammed by a cab driver when visited NYC several years past. It can happen anywhere. Getting scammed is part of the experience.  Just have a little wit and a sense awareness of where you are at all times and you’ll be fine.

QuidProQuo wrote:

Buying a sim for a short term visit is a waste of $$.

There is wifi in all cafes, even convenience stores. You can use your smartphone there and save.

On the other hand, my Mobi sim plus one month voice/data/sms was less than $10. Not much extra after $1000 for RT airfare and hotels and food.

Imagine you might be in the street and need a google map, Grab transport, English to Vietnamese translation, XE currency converter, weather info, world clock, ...

gobot wrote:

QuidProQuo wrote:

Buying a sim for a short term visit is a waste of $$.

There is wifi in all cafes, even convenience stores. You can use your smartphone there and save.

On the other hand, my Mobi sim plus one month voice/data/sms was less than $10. Not much extra after $1000 for RT airfare and hotels and food.

Imagine you might be in the street and need a google map, Grab transport, English to Vietnamese translation, XE currency converter, weather info, world clock, ...

Dont need a sim to use wifi.

gobot wrote:

QuidProQuo wrote:

Buying a sim for a short term visit is a waste of $$.

There is wifi in all cafes, even convenience stores. You can use your smartphone there and save.

On the other hand, my Mobi sim plus one month voice/data/sms was less than $10. Not much extra after $1000 for RT airfare and hotels and food.

Imagine you might be in the street and need a google map, Grab transport, English to Vietnamese translation, XE currency converter, weather info, world clock, ...

I agree.

If you are "in the street" away from WiFi, a data sim will come in handy. I believe they are sold at a very cheap rate without phone calling service or texting.

Ciambella wrote:

Just be aware of your surroundings, don't fall for a beautiful woman, don't go to karaoke bars, and just because beer is cheap, don't get drunk.

I've been in Saigon for a little more than 24 hours and I already failed each point in your check list, I think... 

colinoscapee wrote:

gobot wrote:

QuidProQuo wrote:

Buying a sim for a short term visit is a waste of $$.

There is wifi in all cafes, even convenience stores. You can use your smartphone there and save.

On the other hand, my Mobi sim plus one month voice/data/sms was less than $10. Not much extra after $1000 for RT airfare and hotels and food.

Imagine you might be in the street and need a google map, Grab transport, English to Vietnamese translation, XE currency converter, weather info, world clock, ...

Dont need a sim to use wifi.

I think he meant, when you are *away* from WiFi. I'd never go around Saigon without a SIM card and 4G data... just today kind of got "lost" and Grab was very useful, I could have called it from a coffee shop with WiFi but it needs constant connection.

Even for a week I'd buy a SIM.  It's 200,000 for a SIM plus 200,000VND would be all the data he would likely need.  I generally load 500,000 and it lasts 6 weeks or so.

Get a sim card. It's not much money and you don't want the hassle of asking for the password especially if you don't speak the language. If the wifi is unlocked, then you should be extra weary and use it in an emergency or have VPN on your phone/laptop.

Grab app is helpful and so is Google Map and Waze if you plan to do a lot of walking. Download the offline Vietnamese dictionary for Google Translate so you don't need data to translate.

There's also the women with baskets on the shoulder pole scam where they have you put the shoulder pole on for a picture and then ask for money after. When crossing the street, walk next to someone experience at first if you can. Use caution when crossing and don't do sudden moves.

WillyBaldy wrote:

Ciambella wrote:

Just be aware of your surroundings, don't fall for a beautiful woman, don't go to karaoke bars, and just because beer is cheap, don't get drunk.

I've been in Saigon for a little more than 24 hours and I already failed each point in your check list, I think... 

Welcome back, Willy.  Now, behave yourself.

colinoscapee wrote:

gobot wrote:

QuidProQuo wrote:

Buying a sim for a short term visit is a waste of $$.

There is wifi in all cafes, even convenience stores. You can use your smartphone there and save.

On the other hand, my Mobi sim plus one month voice/data/sms was less than $10. Not much extra after $1000 for RT airfare and hotels and food.

Imagine you might be in the street and need a google map, Grab transport, English to Vietnamese translation, XE currency converter, weather info, world clock, ...

Dont need a sim to use wifi.

Oops, too terse. Try again:

There is wifi in all cafes, even convenience stores. You can use your smartphone there and save your money because wifi is free.

gobot wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

gobot wrote:

There is wifi in all cafes, even convenience stores. You can use your smartphone there and save.

On the other hand, my Mobi sim plus one month voice/data/sms was less than $10. Not much extra after $1000 for RT airfare and hotels and food.

Imagine you might be in the street and need a google map, Grab transport, English to Vietnamese translation, XE currency converter, weather info, world clock, ...

Dont need a sim to use wifi.

Oops, too terse. Try again:

There is wifi in all cafes, even convenience stores. You can use your smartphone there and save your money because wifi is free.

Short and sweet, no long winded posts from me.

WillyBaldy wrote:

Ciambella wrote:

Just be aware of your surroundings, don't fall for a beautiful woman, don't go to karaoke bars, and just because beer is cheap, don't get drunk.

I've been in Saigon for a little more than 24 hours and I already failed each point in your check list, I think... 

Yes it's quite hard for us Canucks to stay focused and not fall into these traps!

Canman63 wrote:

WillyBaldy wrote:

Ciambella wrote:

Just be aware of your surroundings, don't fall for a beautiful woman, don't go to karaoke bars, and just because beer is cheap, don't get drunk.

I've been in Saigon for a little more than 24 hours and I already failed each point in your check list, I think... 

Yes it's quite hard for us Canucks to stay focused and not fall into these traps!

Wait, what, they're *traps* ? Are you telling me that when I buy hostesses a drink they don't actually love me for real and just want to help the bar make more money? That's so shocking I can hardly believe it...

For anyone else , yes, they may be leading the guys along, extracting mney , and giving false hopes of loves etc.
But for u Willy, being the Brad Pitt of Canada, it has to be the opposite!

Canman63 wrote:

For anyone else , yes, they may be leading the guys along, extracting mney , and giving false hopes of loves etc.
But for u Willy, being the Brad Pitt of Canada, it has to be the opposite!

I'd like to be know as the Big Willy of Canada, if you get my meaning 

WillyBaldy wrote:

Canman63 wrote:

For anyone else , yes, they may be leading the guys along, extracting mney , and giving false hopes of loves etc.
But for u Willy, being the Brad Pitt of Canada, it has to be the opposite!

I'd like to be know as the Big Willy of Canada, if you get my meaning 

Shouldn't be to HARD if the gals compare you to the local viet men!

1. Buying food, stuff. Choose a legitimate shop with a known address, where you can see price labels and get a check receipt after a purchase. CO.OP Mart has very reasonable prices. Small marts have higher prices. Buying from a person who walks and carries something (e.g. fruits) can be several times more expensive, especially if you cannot negotiate in Vietnamese (Xin loi anh, toi muon mua <this>, bao nieu tien....?)

2. Transportation. Official services have very descent pricing. This is Grab for motorbikes and Vinasun taxi for taxi cabs. In other cases it can be up to 10 times higher. Especially if you failed to negotiate the price, and the destination whereabouts unambiguously before embarking on your trip.

3. Services like cleaning your boots. A smiling guy can approach you in district 1 or 3 (or sometimes even in the district/quan 10) and propose to clean your boots. In some cases you would be parted from something like 20 bucks (like i was in January, it was a funny experience, and provokes a smile, a good reminder that i gonna remain a fool till my last days).

[4]. Keep a small sum of money closer, maybe in a front pocket. You may encounter somebody, for whom you may feel very sorry and may be inclined to help in some way. Taking a pile of USD or 500K VND banknotes at this moment would not be a good idea, just pull a small amount of money, like 50K or 100K  up in that case...

Hope some of these can be helpful for You
Mike

Even a local can get scammed by any of these taxi drivers.  My wife born and raised in Vietnam got scammed. Driver taking the long way and when confronted got defensive and both argued until reached destination.   If you are new to the area you will get scammed.  Just minimize your losses.

I think best advise for new visitors is have a local acquaintance or someone guide you.  If you don't know anyone there and new to vietnam it can be difficult.  Good luck

Canman63 wrote:

The currency can be somewhat tricky for first timers.
I would suggest that you keep your bills in sequence , from big to small, it's easier when paying for something. as previously stated, perhaps keep bigger bills in a separate pocket, I believe the 20 k and 500 k notes are quite similar, make sure the seller acknologes the denomination as you hand it to him.

my mate who was a first time visitor handed over a 500,000 note thinking it was 50,000...

I pay 120k every 28 days for Viettel's 28GB 4G data plan. More bandwidth than I will ever need and it's usually much faster than public wifi, which in my experience is often pretty flaky. Top up when needed with a scratchcard from a convenience store.

And what everyone else said about taxis... Vinasun, MyaLinh or however you spell it (the green ones!) or use Grab. Anything else will cost you more than a private helicopter.

For the rest, use your common sense and you will be fine. Anywhere with beautiful young ladies in traditional garb may prove expensive... but you only live once.