Common money scams in Vietnam, and what they cost you

Vietnam's classic is the taxi that overcharges 3 to 10 times the real fare: an unlicensed car, a rigged meter that runs fast, a long route, or fake branding that mimics the reputable firms' colors. The two firms to trust are Vinasun (white) and Mai Linh (green), with the company name clearly on the car, but the cleaner defense is the Grab app (or Be or Xanh SM, the electric-car service), which shows the price, route and driver up front and needs no cash.

If you take a street taxi, confirm the meter is running before you move, and refuse any cab that approaches you at the airport or a tourist site. For xe om (motorbike taxis) and cyclos, unofficial drivers near stations quote high for short hops, so use Grab for a fixed price, and for a cyclo agree the total before you get in and hold firm at the end.

A newer arrival trap: a driver approaches you in the terminal, taps your destination into a phone, and turns the screen around to show what looks like the Grab app with a fixed price. It is a fake app or a screenshot. The defense is simple: open the real Grab on your own phone, book the ride yourself, and watch the driver's name and license plate appear in the app before you walk to the pickup point. Only get into the car you called, never one that approached you.

The airports at Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang have designated Grab pickup points and official taxi stands with fixed-rate metered cabs; if you do not have a local SIM yet, staff at the airport Grab counter can book for you. That gets you into the city at a fair, known price.

Vietnam's dong notes are easy to muddle: several are similar colors, and the numbers are large, so a 500,000 dong note (about 20 dollars) is easy to confuse with a 20,000. Drivers and vendors sometimes exploit this with sleight of hand, swapping your note for a smaller one, or claiming they have no change. Before you travel, learn the notes, and when you pay cash, count it out and say the amount, keep denominations separate, and settle close to exact.

Change money only at banks or official exchange counters, checking the rate first, and use bank ATMs, which do charge a fee. At the card machine or ATM, choose dong, not your home currency. Paying by app or card wherever you can removes most change-related tricks entirely.

The motorbike-rental damage scam is the one that can cost real money: on return, the shop points to pre-existing scratches and demands a fee, and some hold an excessive deposit or your passport. The fix: photograph and video the bike from all angles before you ride, rent from a reputable shop or your hotel, and never leave your passport as the deposit, only a copy.

Smaller ones round out the list: a shoeshiner who starts work unasked then demands 200,000 dong, a coconut or fruit vendor who hands you their pole for a photo then charges, and fake tour operators selling Ha Long Bay cruises on boats that do not match the listing. Decline unsolicited services, agree prices first, and book cruises through a reputable operator or your hotel.

Nearly all of it is low-value and frustrating rather than dangerous, and the same short list defuses it: use the real Grab, Be or Xanh SM app (or only Vinasun and Mai Linh taxis), count your money and pay close to exact, video any rental and keep your passport, and agree prices before cyclos, photos or tours. The one worth active care is the motorbike-rental damage charge.

Handled calmly, Vietnam is a superb and welcoming trip. For getting around, see the Vietnam taxis and apps guide, and for the wider picture the Vietnam cost guide.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on Vietnam

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Do I need cash in Vietnam, or can I use cards?Short answer: cards for hotels and larger purchases, and dong cash for daily life. One quirk to watch: the dong has a lot of zeros, so notes are easy to mix up. Here is how to handle it.
• Tipping in VietnamVietnam has a light tipping culture: not required, but increasingly appreciated in tourist areas. Round up at restaurants, tip guides and spa staff a little, and use small dong notes. Here is what you actually owe.
• Which taxi app to use in Vietnam, and the airport scam to skipThe honest answer is that installing one app before you land makes most of the risk disappear. Here is the app to use, the fake-taxi trick to know, and how to get from the airport into town without the tourist markup.