Destinations › Vietnam › Ha Long › Scams
Ha Long, Vietnam
10 reported scam patterns travellers run into in Ha Long, what they look like, and how to sidestep them.
Day trips where the boat stops short of the advertised route and additional payment is requested to continue or to enter caves.
Cruise operators selling a boat and cabin standard well above what is delivered, using photographs of a different vessel at the point of sale.
Pearl and jewellery 'factory' stops built into cruise itineraries with heavy sales pressure and inflated prices.
Theft from cabins and from bags left on deck during shore excursions.
Transfer drivers from Hanoi adding unagreed stops at commission-paying shops and charging waiting time.
Note substitution and shortchanging when paying cash at the pier and on board, using similar-coloured denominations.
Kayak and cave entry fees described as included and then demanded separately in cash at the landing.
On-board meals and drinks billed at rates never disclosed, with the bill presented only when the boat is offshore.
Street agents selling cruise packages with no operator details, where the booking does not exist on arrival at the pier.
Overbooked cruises moving guests to a lower-grade vessel on the day without a refund of the difference.
