Nobody wants to be a victim of scams that ruin their holiday. Scams in Hanoi are mostly a nuisance than dangerous. However, it will create the disappointment and annoyance throughout your whole journey. These are some of the Hanoi scams you may encounter while traveling in Hanoi and some tips to avoid them.

1. Exchange rates

Exchanging money in Vietnam is a must for travelers since Vietnamese like to use cash rather than credit cards. Most of the everyday payment is made by cash. There are ways to exchange money in Vietnam, you can read it here: Cash, Credit Cards and ATMs in Vietnam.

When exchanging money in Hanoi, be careful of the exchange rates scam. You don’t need to worry about this if you exchange your money at banks. But if you exchange money at hotels or gold and jewelry stores, you should check the exact current exchange rates first. You may find this information on the internet or in smartphone apps.

Scams in Hanoi

Also, unscrupulous hotels quote rates in dollars, then when you want to pay in dong, inflate the exchange rate well up. For a long stay, you will waste a lot of money. Before booking, if possible, ask the price in the currency you are going to pay in.

If you’ve pre-booked, then check again when you arrive. If the rate is too high, ask them for an explanation beforehand over your passport or any other guarantee. Alternatively, pay in the currency they’ve quoted — usually dollars.

Exchange rate vietnam dong usd

2. Hotel scams

Hotel scams are also one of the common Hanoi scams and there’re different kinds of scams.

When you arrive at the hotels, they might tell you that there has been a mistake and there are no rooms left. Then, they ask you to move to a sister hotel which has an equivalent room available. You may be too tired to look for something else and agree with the new hotel that later you find that it’s better compared to our usual hostels and guesthouses.

But beware, the scam here is that when you head to check out and pay the bill on your departure you’ll find that the room rate is $$$ per night and will end up in a nasty standoff with staff who will demand full payment.

Also, try to avoid leaving your passport as a deposit because it’s easier to walk away if they’re not holding your passport. Instead, if a guarantee is needed, pay in advance. It’s actually better to lose your money than have trouble with your passports.

One more thing, 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. You may go to a fake hotel. To prevent this, check with google map to make sure you arrive at the real hotels.

3. Fake Tours & Tour Agencies

Fake tour

Hanoi, like many touristy cities, is packed to the rafters with tour agencies. For example, tourist agencies may sell you a “deluxe” tour which is certainly not deluxe. They can use fake photos to present a rosier image than the reality. However, this is easy to solve if you put in some effort. Rather than just picking a random agency in the Old Quarter, do some research on the Internet or with Tripadvisor.

Also, be aware that you may encounter the fake tour agency. A reputable tour agency, or even a restaurant will be rebranded by other agencies to the same or a very similar name to try and get a slice of their business. This is a pretty visible problem when you’re looking for a specific company that has good reviews. One of the case it’s Sinh Tourist agency, which has at least 7 fake branches scattered around Hanoi. They are properly the fake ones, not the real one and not gonna provide you with the best service for sure.

Fake tours and tour agencies are one of the common Hanoi scams. To avoid this scam, make sure you check with Google Map to go to the exact address of the agency.

4. Taxi Scams

For getting around Hanoi, you might can’t avoid hailing a taxi to travel around. However, there are a couple of common problems that happen with the taxis in Hanoi and here are the ones to look out for.

The first and main concern is the taxi ride from the airport. I must say that the airport is a haven for potential scammers. If you get outside Noi Bai airport after the arrival, you will mostly be invited a ride by some taxi drivers. Most will try to demand a fixed fare that’s much higher than the normal rate. Ensure you get in a taxi that will agree to go by the meter (it should end up costing about $10-15 USD).

Taxi Scam

However, even the taxi has a meter, there’s still a chance that you get scammed. Their favorite ploy is to claim there were tolls on the way into the city. Note that this is not true, so be confident and only pay as the meter displays. But don’t get too aggressive overall since you won’t want to cause troubles with the locals.

To avoid taxi scams, there are several ways. You can book a GrabCar by using your smartphone. Or look for a reputable companies such as: Mai Linh Taxi (the remarkably green cab with its name “Mai Linh” on both sides, Taxi Van Xuan (the grey cab with a blue and a red line along both sides), Taxi Airport (the half white and half dark pink cab with its phone number on the front door).

If you have to use taxis, ask your hotel receptionist to help you. And make sure you are clear with the price first with the driver.

5. Watch Out The Free Donuts

So you will see women wield baskets packed with mini donuts on skewers all over the Hanoi Old Quarter. Some of them will approach you with their wares and offer you free donuts before you buy. Free donuts sound pretty good, right?

But here’s the thing. You will never, ever see anyone (especially a local) actually eating them! The donuts themselves aren’t that good, but they are used as a part of a scam. And even when you’re asked to try the donuts for free, say No to them.

Watch Out The Free Donuts

Because after you accept it, the seller will demand that you pay her a large amount of money for the doughnut you just “bought. They can get aggressive and continue to follow you around until they get your money. This can create this an almighty and embarrassing scene.

Just say no to all of them immediately, and believe me, you will see a lot of them, especially in Hanoi Old Quarter.

7. Steer Clear of Free Photos Opportunity

When walking around the streets in Hanoi Old Quarter, you’ll see hawkers wearing typical Vietnamese conical hats and carrying hawker baskets across their shoulders. They will sometimes smile, wave at you and offer you to wear their hat or to take a picture with their baskets for free. But again, just like the free donuts, nothing is free here! If you agree to take a photo with them, they will demand you to pay for it after that.

Other than the hawkers with conical hats, you will also meet the street sellers carrying fruit and good who offer free pictures. Again, say no to them at first because there is nothing is free here. If you agree, you’ll likely have to face an embarrassing demand of payment later. They will follow you and create a scene.

Avoid everything you’re offered free since free things are not good things in Hanoi.

Hanoi Scams

8. Pick Pocket and Bag Snatcher

Pickpocketing and bag snatching seem to have quietened down in Hanoi. However, for safety, you still need to watch out for it. Thieves would ride on motorbikes and steal your bags or if you go into crowded places, you will get pick-pocketed when you’re not paying much attention to your belongings.

For the motorbike thieves, you are particularly vulnerable if you are wearing a bag that is slung across your shoulder – sometimes this would lead to dragging the poor victim along the street as well, causing serious injury.

This is a horrible crime, but thankfully, this crime is now uncommon in Hanoi (and they were very open about all the current scams in the city). This is more prevalent in Ho Chi Minh City.

To avoid pick pocketing or bag snatching, I’d recommend to always use a bag with two straps, wear it properly while walking on the streets. Be careful and wear the bag in your chest while going into crowded places such as night markets. Keep your valuables in your hotel and always have an eye on your things.

Above are some of the common Hanoi scams that you most likely to encounter. Always watch out and don’t be a victim of any Hanoi scams that ruin your holiday.