How do you deal with husslers in Vietnam?

Question

I've been to Thailand and I Loved it, but the most stressful thing was all the drivers,etc hussling you...it made me feel like running away. I heard from friends that Vietnam is supposed to be even worse. Ill be in Vietnam 2 weeks this summer and I'll travel alone. What's the best way to deal with husslers. I'm worried about dealing with transportation is particular. Is it true that they're really bad? What's the best strategy for dealing with them?

Answer 1

When I went to Viet nam, I initially found it a little stressful dealing with hustlers. Being a small blonde girl I was very easily noticed and attracted a hell of a lot more hustlers than my fella. On the whole though, I never received any abuse, even when I was impolite (although that wasn't often).
I would say that they best way to deal with them is to be very firm. If you're in conversation and they shout 'motorbike!' or something at you, I'd just say No thankyou, loudly and continue with the conversation. Not ignoring them or being impolite, but showing you clearly have no interest in what they're offering.

I found it much easier once I'd got the nack of not smiling and apologising when I didn't want something. They'll think you're a pushover and harass you.
You do get used to it though, as long as you hold your ground and don't let yourself get harassed. The vietnamese are lovely people and they will still be friendly with you even if you don't want to buy from them. Its all about respect.

I think the general rule is look pretty much disinterested in whatever anyone is selling, even if you want it. If you look too keen, then they will charge you too much, if you act like you don't really want it that bad then they'll make it a good price for you.

And remember not to feel intimidated, these people don't want to scare you, they just want to be the one who gets your attention and sells you something.
Plus its good practice for if you ever get famous.

Answer 2

u r gonna get hassled whenever u get near a city or tourist area in vietnam,, its inevitable.. these people mean u no harm,, they r just trying to make a living,,, remember to them a foriegn apperance means u got money to spend ($50 per month here is an acceptable wage) and they want not 2 rob u, but understandably 4 u 2 spend ur money with them... i think its very disrespectful to be rude or to ignore them, and when ive witnessed foriegners do this they have been hassled all the more. what i do is smile, look them in the eyes and say "no thankyou" ("khang cam on" in vietnamese) without stopping for them,,, they generaly give a big smile back and dont push any further,,, if they do continue to hassle u,, just ignore them and they'll soon move on to their next target,, often the street sellers and motorbike taxi drivers speak better english than most vietnamese people and can be quite useful sourses of information and fun 2 chat with,, if u want to see the city, get a motorbike taxi to take u round and wait 4 u wherever u go,, u can negociate a decent price 4 the entire day, and the driver will warn off other drivers.. u be warned tho, the roads in saigon seem chaotic and not 4 the faint hearted,, u get used 2 them after a while and i find them quite safe although sometimes daunting.. I live in Saigon (HCMC) and i love meeting people,, if u like, send me an I.M. when ur here and ill give u a crash course in dealing with the city...

Answer 3

They ask, they may be a minor pest, but be firm with them. Be polite. I didn't find them to be that aggressive there. The taxis are just fine and in the cities, most of the drivers speak at least a bit of English. I always carry a map with the location of my hotel circled just in case i do get turned around which is easy to do. After a while I would just not worry about where I was and just hail a cab to take me back.

The people in Vietnam I find to be shy, polite and friendly. And I never felt that I was being hustled, at least not in the way I felt in China. Enjoy the trip. 2 weeks is too short.

Answer 4

Hmm... Where will be your destinations in Vietnam?
If you are going to HCM city or some orther cities here, prepare for being hustled, and traffic is also terrible.
In Saigon or HCM city, there are some streets for foreign pedestrians or tourists in general (Lê Lợi, Lê Thánh Tôn, Phạm Ngũ Lão...you can ask local ppl to show you some). There can you find yourself safer and comfortable 'coz of good infrastruture & security. However, you'll lose many chances to know more about the city's special figures if you just go arouund those places.
The best way to avoid hustlers is refusing them immediately : "No". Do not smile to them :D, or else they think you like them & keep persuading you to buy their goods. It's better to be able distinguish these kinds of people before you let them see you, a "foreign potential customer".
There are usually some men sitting on their bikes at the corner of almost every street. They are waiting for anyone who passes by to ask "Where are you going? Let me take you there". They are called xe ôm (motortaxi rider:)). Some may be rude. But some in dark blue clothes are reliable & won't hustling you for they work legally.
As for salespeople, you may be hustled by some kids or even old people selling lotteries, newspaper, chewing gums along some streets. Ignore them at first. .. If they continue to disturb you, go fast & appear angry ... If they still do, find some police man at the corner of the street for help. Now in Saigon, many youngsters vonluteer to help foreign tourists get over this. These youngsters are in green uniforms...
Hope that helps!
P.S: sorry about some mistakes in grammar & spellings

Answer 5

I agree that you need to be firm and try not to give them much attention. I am assuming you are a woman, if so, you are going to get much more attention than you probably want. Vietnamese women can be your saviors, especially older women to whom you should show respect. Appeal to them if you need assistance - they have been of enormous help and you can get off on the wrong foot if you, as a single woman, approach a man directly. It can sometimes send the wrong message, especially if you are not asian. Western women can have bad reputations for looseness. The ones you have to look out for are the street children. They will rob you blind and they are literally trained to the art of pick pocketing. I have been all over the world and the best pick - pockets I've seen have been in Saigon and barely come up to my waist. By the way - the food is fantastic.

Answer 6

For an AMERICAN, whose skin tone is different from Vietnamese, who is travceling to vietnam, I advise you to b careful. Where ever you go, u will see hustlers, but if u b careful, they will mean no harm to u!!! Well when you travel, always travel light, dont take any stuff that U "think" u will need! Just take ur self n a couple of bucks! Cus shoo, they will run up n take ur stuff in a snap!!! Well, uh if u travel by taxi out in the street at night ( and i advise that you do dat stead of walking along the street at night!) n u think dat dey hustling u, n ders no way to stop it, i think that u should bring some xtra bucks, just in case! n remember, when u ssee them hobos or kids beggin 4 ur $$$ in the street, DONT GIVE THEM $$$, cus they will follow u lkike a bird flock!!!!

Answer 7

... have you ever been to new york??? viet nam is childs play! all hustelers can and should be delt w/ in the same way.... quickly and with all the respect they show for you. i am very seldom polite to hustelers..... laughing in their face at their transparant ploys is usually as polite as i get.. that said ... the vietnamese are just wonderfull people.. but many are poor... understand their situation but dont be treated like a sucker. the best way for you to travel great distances is probably on a tour company bus, train, or plane... all those prices are set and more than fair. traveling around , seeing local sites by motor bike is a must... go with your insticts, find someone who is not pushy, be carefull even of recomendation from your hotel... but find someone you feel comfortable with and if your not driving all day , say just 1 or 2 sites where the driver will wait for you , about $7 us i the going rate..... negotiate the price first ..BE VERY SPECIFIC and write it down in front of the driver. cyclos are also fun and you can go around localy 5-10min ride for about 5-10 thousand viet nam dong... you can get an hr tour for a dollar... again remamber that these folk dont have much so bargain but dont get rediculous.. most will treat you better than you deserve. generaly i stay away from people who approach me with deals... or any offers for that matter... a salesmen is a salesmen! after reading the other responses let me add this... yes, dont smile at them, "no" is pronounced "khum"[ spelled khong] but if you speak vietnamese to them they might contiue at you with, "oh you speak viet namese well...." best to ignor, just keep walking that said viet nams greatest tresure is its people... take every opportunity to meet and converse with the people of viet nam... but on your terms. and oh yeah i see YOUNG woman traveling alone in viet nam all the time... you'll love it....money back guarentee!! ong jon

Answer 8

There are tons of hustlers in Saigon. Especially if you're in district 1 where all of the tourists generally stay. If you go to a cafe or outdoor restaurant, you can expect someone to come up to you about every ten minutes. I usually go to these places with my wife whose Vietnamese and I really don't get hassled much at all. If I'm by myself, I just make eye contact and shake my head "no". I don't smile and I don't do it for long. Just real quick and then I go back to my business. The hustlers know what they're doing, so they're not going to waste their time on someone that isn't interested at all. As far as transportation goes, it really just depends on where you are and where you're going. You can get a "honda om" or "xe om" to take you around district 1 for about 10,000 dong maybe a little more just depends on how far you're going. There are also rickshaws (like a bicycle taxi) that you can take, but I wouldn't recommend them. One of the popular tricks for drivers over here is to quote you one price and then charge you more when you get to the destination. Or they may just ask you for more money. I usually just laugh and give them the amount we agreed upon. It's best to agree on everything before you go anywhere. Almost all of the drivers I've had contact with can speak English. If you are travelling outside of Saigon, you can go to Bui Vien Street in District one and sign up with one of the travel companies. They have all kinds of packages and tours going to alot of different places. And they will arrange all of the travel for you (usually by bus, but they are usually better than the government-run buses). That's probably the best way to get around in Vietnam, unless you want to travel way up north from Saigon, or way down south from Hanoi. Then you will probably want to go by train. Again you can use the local travel companies to book your tickets for you. Travel in Vietnam really isn't too difficult and it's really inexpensive. You will probably have to pay more than locals especially for air and train tickets, but that's normal over here, so don't get offended. Other than that it should be no problem. If you've got any more questions let me know.

Answer 9

You shouldn't go to Vietnam alone. Vietnam is not a safe place for single woman. If you don't speak the language plan on getting totally screwed over

Answer 10

Do you mean hustlers ?
It's always wise to have someone with you. I was born & grew up there & my best advice is to travel light & to just simply ignore them. It'd get worse if you pay attention to them. Learn to say:
" KHÔNG, CÁM ƠN !" meaning " NO, THANK YOU !"
It'd be a memorable traveling experience. I hope you'll like it there. I know I did. I've traveled back several times, so far. I'm looking forwards to going there again. Stay safe, take care & good luck.
Bon voyage !