Beware Of This Filthy Travel Scam

The act of travelling helps us get away from it all, to open up our hearts and minds to new people, new mindsets, new experiences, and new ways of life. That is true, yes! But wait until you get yourself tricked out of money, passport, or any other valuable belongings during the middle of the trip!

On 17th July 2018, a clip of two French tourists holding 3 bills of joss paper with a sense of grief and frustration hopelessly trying to ask for justice has gripped the Internet and is now spreading like wildfire. (Watch the video in the link down below).

Through 0.26 second of the video, we can succinctly summarize what happened: These two guests from France paid their visit to Uncle Ho's mausoleum a few days ago. They were invited with insistence by a man riding a "xich lo" (Vietnamese cyclo), and agreed to go for 600,000 vnd which equals for $26 for an hour. At the end of the ride, the Westerners paid 1.500.000 around $65 and received 900.000 change of joss money (includes a bill of 500.000 and 2 bills of 200.000).

Earlier the following morning, the couple took a guided tour. In the middle of the trip, they hopped on a taxi. Only until they handled the joss bills to the taxi driver did they come to realize they had been painfully tricked. They were utterly disappointed by the mischievous act which resulted in calling off the whole tour to Ha Long. "What a disastrous experience!" they said.

Cyclo tour has bloomed as a business in Vietnam

For those who are not informed of the term joss paper aka hell bank note, Asian people have strong faith in the afterlife. Therefore, these papercrafts are burnt offerings in ancestral worships on holidays and special occasions to ensure the spirit of the diseased are having all the necessities in the afterlife.

Many tourists have turned themselves into easy baits for malevolent opportunists to make money hand over fist. The horrendous behavior has stirred the Internet with anger and despite towards the cantankerous man. One scabby sheep is enough to spoil the whole flock. It only needs a case like this for the world to view Vietnam from another perspective, a bad one, unfortunately. Volunteering as a tour guide myself, I've heeded many travelers admiring how affable, kind, and hard-working Vietnamese are. Shady people such as these lies within a tiny minority of us. However, it is well advised to get your guard up when traveling.

For further reading on how to circumvent scams: Link

Source: Link