On 24/2, around 5 PM, American tourist Clarissa left the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Quan Hoa ward. She planned to book a ride-hailing motorbike taxi to a restaurant on Trang Tien street, Hoan Kiem ward. The 7 km journey typically costs around 70,000 Vietnamese dong. A traditional motorbike taxi driver then approached, offering to take her.
"I did not ask the price beforehand," she said, "as I had pleasant experiences with traditional motorbike taxis during my two weeks in Hanoi."
The driver, despite knowing her exact destination, made several unscheduled stops. Clarissa initially interpreted these detours as a display of Vietnamese hospitality.
The driver first took Clarissa to the train street, asking a woman to photograph them. During the photo session, the tourist stated the driver attempted to kiss her. He then drove her to a memorial, prompting Clarissa to use Google Maps to guide him back on track.
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Clarissa and the driver at the train street. Photo: Provided
As they neared her destination, the driver quoted 500,000 Vietnamese dong. However, upon arrival at the Trang Tien restaurant, he saw more money in Clarissa's wallet and changed the fare to one million Vietnamese dong. Despite realizing she was being scammed, Clarissa paid to avoid trouble.
That evening, Clarissa and Hanoi resident Ngo Trung Duc reported the incident to the Hoan Kiem Ward Police. On the morning of 25/2, police confirmed receiving the report and are investigating to locate the driver.
According to Duc, Clarissa's friend, her group typically escorted her during her two-week stay in Hanoi. On 24/2, however, everyone was busy, leaving Clarissa to navigate alone, which led to the overcharging incident.
Duc noted that while the amount was not substantial, such incidents leave a negative impression on foreign visitors. He decided to report it with Clarissa on the night of 24/2 to help prevent similar occurrences.
A study by UK insurance company AllClear, published on 19/2, ranked Vietnam 4th globally for taxi scams, behind Turkey, India, and Thailand. This ranking stemmed from an analysis of thousands of tourist complaints on major forums like Reddit.
Taxi driver overcharging incidents frequently occur in major Vietnamese cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (TP HCM). In 7/2025, a group of Philippine tourists was overcharged over 1.4 million Vietnamese dong for a 1 km journey in the Old Quarter. Earlier this year, a French tourist reported a taxi overcharge of 900,000 Vietnamese dong for a ride from Noi Bai airport to the city center, which was three times the standard fare.
Hoai Anh
