26-year-old John Jose Beldua from the Philippines and four friends were visiting Vietnam for tourism and a travel internship. On the evening of 30/6, around 7 PM, they tried to get a taxi from the Hoan Kiem Lake fountain to a restaurant in Lo Su. Due to heavy rain, ride-hailing apps were unavailable, so they hailed a taxi parked near the fountain.
Despite the short 300-meter distance, the driver charged them 1.5 million dong. John said that while they were counting the money, the driver took advantage of a momentary distraction to swap a 500,000 dong bill with a 20,000 dong bill. Although they argued, the group paid the fare so they could make their dinner reservation before traveling to Ha Long the next day.
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John, second from the left, with his friends in Hanoi. Photo: NVCC |
John, second from the left, with his friends in Hanoi. Photo: NVCC
A representative from the Hoan Kiem ward said that the ward's criminal investigation team investigated the incident after learning about it. By 2 PM on 1/7, the taxi driver had been summoned to the station for questioning. He confessed to overcharging the tourists and returned the money.
The Hoan Kiem ward police are currently preparing paperwork to propose administrative penalties for the driver.
"It was an unwanted incident. Our Hanoi travel experience has otherwise been good," John said after receiving the refund. The group is completing their internship on a cruise in Ha Long and returning home on 4/7.
Tu Nguyen
