I assumed that Hanoi and HCM would be something like BKK as far as rip offs, boy was I mistaken. Both Hanoi and HCM taxi drivers are con artists in the extreme. Even in high class shops in malls it is one big, blatant rip off to sell clothing that does not fit just to get a sale.

Vietnam is still 20 year's behind Thailand and a dump IMO

I always use the bus, wherever I am.

Vietnam has an android app for each city, showing routes and bus in real time.

5,000VND (25c) for all local trips, 20,000VND for out of town trips.

 

Never encountered a taxi driver that wasn't a low life criminal, in any city of the world.

19 minutes ago, OzMan said:

Even in high class shops in malls it is one big, blatant rip off to sell clothing that does not fit just to get a sale.

Its up to the purchaser to make sure that the clothes fit .

I see many youngsters going around in clothes that are way too small for them, its the fashion these days 

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I always use the bus, wherever I am.

Vietnam has an android app for each city, showing routes and bus in real time.

5,000VND (25c) for all local trips, 20,000VND for out of town trips.

 

Never encountered a taxi driver that wasn't a low life criminal, in any city of the world.

Although if you always use the bus and never the taxis , you wouldnt have encountered many , if any, taxi drivers at all 

A rip-off requires are least two people. One who is ripping off and the other who get's ripped off.

New and innocent tourists are obviously perfect targets for the rip-off artists.

 

I wasn't ripped off in Thailand for years because I know what to expect and the usual rip-offs.

I am sure if I would travel to another country, any country, I would be an easy target - at least at the beginning.

And if I would live there for a while I wouldn't be an easy target anymore.

 

Same same all around the world.

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I always use the bus, wherever I am.

Vietnam has an android app for each city, showing routes and bus in real time.

5,000VND (25c) for all local trips, 20,000VND for out of town trips.

 

Never encountered a taxi driver that wasn't a low life criminal, in any city of the world.

Yay! Buses in Hanoi and HCMC are great, clean, new and cheap. Compared to the filthy dirty smoke spewing rattletraps they call buses in BKK.

I ride taxis in Hanoi all the time and never have a problem. Same for motorbike taxis. Can't speak for HCMC.

 

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I always use the bus, wherever I am.

Vietnam has an android app for each city, showing routes and bus in real time.

5,000VND (25c) for all local trips, 20,000VND for out of town trips.

 

Never encountered a taxi driver that wasn't a low life criminal, in any city of the world.

What tourist is going to fly half way around the world for a well earned holiday to catch a bus? Vietnam is still learning how to scam and taxis plus snatch and grab leading the way

5 minutes ago, madmen said:

What tourist is going to fly half way around the world for a well earned holiday to catch a bus? Vietnam is still learning how to scam and taxis plus snatch and grab leading the way

Vietnam is only a 90 minute flight from Chiang Mai.

Hardly 1/2 way round the world.

I go there for the weekend.

I always use grab in Vietnam. Super cheap. Grab food is good too. 

Those who says against Vietnam are usually heavily invested in Thailand

 

Bar owners, restaurant owners, guest houses or even blogs/news with focus on foreigners

 

Must be painful to see your lunch being eaten away

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Vietnam is only a 90 minute flight from Chiang Mai.

Hardly 1/2 way round the world.

I go there for the weekend.

I'm pretty sure my post wasn't aimed at all the expats in Chiang Mai but you knew that, Why play games?

2 minutes ago, madmen said:

I'm pretty sure my post wasn't aimed at all the expats in Chiang Mai but you knew that, Why play games?

I'm pretty sure everyone posting in this thread is an expat living in Thailand.

I'm tired of you, time to hit the ignore button.

 

i respectfully disaggree.

when i visited vietnam few years ago, all products in the airport duty free

where in on price  -2 USD.

CANDIES, PERFUME, DRINKS, SANDWICHES, SOUVENIERS - ALL SAME PRICE, 2 USD.

so in such a shop, if you buy smart, you can win.

There are info sites for using taxis in Vietnam, just use Google. Personally I like Vietnam

35 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

Yay! Buses in Hanoi and HCMC are great, clean, new and cheap. Compared to the filthy dirty smoke spewing rattletraps they call buses in BKK.

I ride taxis in Hanoi all the time and never have a problem. Same for motorbike taxis. Can't speak for HCMC.

 

Saigon the same. Always use taxis, never been ripped off. Sometimes the fare is so low it's embarrasing. I always ask the fare before getting in the cab.

Taxi drivers are the worst scammers in Vietnam. They’ll go the longest possible way, use rigged meters or no meters at all. Another one to look out for is the money swap. The high and low denomination notes look similar in colour ... they will pretend that you gave them the wrong notes ... so count the notes into their hand to prevent this.

 

But to be honest if you travel around the world you will be scammed in some way or another ... it’s unavoidable. So do plenty of homework before you travel and you’ll avoid the worst examples.

4 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

Taxi drivers are the worst scammers in Vietnam. They’ll go the longest possible way, use rigged meters or no meters at all. Another one to look out for is the money swap. The high and low denomination notes look similar in colour ... they will pretend that you gave them the wrong notes ... so count the notes into their hand to prevent this.

 

But to be honest if you travel around the world you will be scammed in some way or another ... it’s unavoidable. So do plenty of homework before you travel and you’ll avoid the worst examples.

That's why I use Uber or Grab - payment is electronic and no cash changes hands

53 minutes ago, madmen said:

What tourist is going to fly half way around the world for a well earned holiday to catch a bus? Vietnam is still learning how to scam and taxis plus snatch and grab leading the way

Walking and taking public transportation are my favorite ways to explore cities in foreign countries.

1 hour ago, OzMan said:

Even in high class shops in malls it is one big, blatant rip off to sell clothing that does not fit

Are yoy blaiming the salespersonnel when you  buy clothts that doesn't fit? 

Got lost in Hanoi once.  Took a cab back to my hotel, took 20 minutes and cost US$25.  found out later that I was no more than 300 metres from my hotel when I took the cab. Lesson learnt. 

56 minutes ago, HeyHeyHey said:

Those who says against Vietnam are usually heavily invested in Thailand

 

Bar owners, restaurant owners, guest houses or even blogs/news with focus on foreigners

 

Must be painful to see your lunch being eaten away

You could be right, but don't expect that this would last more than a couple of years (Vietnam being much cheaper than Thailand).

Never had a problem with Taxis in Hanoi but I was advised to use Mai Linh before I ever get there.

1 hour ago, OzMan said:

Both Hanoi and HCM taxi drivers are con artists in the extreme. Even in high class shops in malls it is one big, blatant rip off to sell clothing that does not fit just to get a sale.

Nonsense, yes it's true that some taxi drivers are con artists, but you find them in every city. 
I visited Hanoi last year for a week, and I did my homework first. Took the airport bus and paid normal fare into the city. Also used UBER instead of normal taxis.  
The Vietnamese people are very friendly toward foreigners , the staff working inside the small restaurants and coffee shops never scammed me, they were very nice and you could have a conversation in English unlike many places in Thailand. The new, modern shopping malls I visited I never felt they targeted me just because I was a foreigner.  

 

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I always use the bus, wherever I am.

Vietnam has an android app for each city, showing routes and bus in real time.

5,000VND (25c) for all local trips, 20,000VND for out of town trips.

 

Never encountered a taxi driver that wasn't a low life criminal, in any city of the world.

You either didn't travel or take taxis a lot then, because that is a load of BS. According to you all woman are bad too. You have some issues. to sort out.

We visit Vietnam for a break each year. Cheap and short flight, no problems ever in Hanoi, Danang or Hoi An. Use grab just like in Chiang Mai. I lucky my wife not drink so I have my own Grab most of the time.

No complaints with Thailand or holidaying in Vietnam. I guess I  lucky to have a great Thai wife for 8 years now.

Third time lucky, lol.

 

Vietnam was wonderful..

 

I went by bus from Ubon to Pakse and on to Hue.

 

My only problem was that I was missing a right leg so all the locals thought I was Colonel Kurtz blown up on a land mine.Strangely enough they rushed to assist me everywhere I went.

 

And no..I am not a veteran.

On 8/18/2019 at 2:52 PM, AlexRich said:

Taxi drivers are the worst scammers in Vietnam. They’ll go the longest possible way, use rigged meters or no meters at all. Another one to look out for is the money swap. The high and low denomination notes look similar in colour ... they will pretend that you gave them the wrong notes ... so count the notes into their hand to prevent this.

 

But to be honest if you travel around the world you will be scammed in some way or another ... it’s unavoidable. So do plenty of homework before you travel and you’ll avoid the worst examples.

<snip> I use taxis almost every day in Vietnam and have done for 12 years find them a very honest lot. Maybe an odd one occasionally tries it on.

Look like a sucker, behave like a sucker and you will be sucked.

2 hours ago, madmen said:

Vietnam is still 20 year's behind Thailand...

SOUNDS like heaven. 

Vietnam is a paradise so it's a bit fishy read such anti-Vietnam proganda here...probably somebody hired by the Thai Tourism Board...TAT

 

To avoid the taxi cheats use GRAB or UBER

 

To avoid buying clothes that the OP claims, do not fit....well how about trying the clothes before you buy them ?

 

Use the rooms called "Changing or Fitting Rooms" and you can actually try on the new clothes before purchase.

 

Also, do not forget to remove your own clothes first,  before trying on the new clothes, or else it won't fit ????

 

For sure, I rather buy my clothes in Europe in official brand stores as the prices are same as in Thailand, if not cheaper. Clothes sold in the malls of Thailand at the regular brand stores,  are disgracefully expensive considering the costs involved in Thailand, 

 

Boycott any such purchase when in Bangkok or any other city in Thailand and spend elsewhere. No point in giving one's cash to the greedy retail giants in the malls of Thailand.