VietNamNet Bridge – Many cases of foreign travelers swindled by illegal taxis have been reported recently. Travel firms have voiced concern that the existence of illegal taxis may seriously threaten the image of Vietnam.

At noon, on December 30, 2008, the aircraft carrying Nathaniel De Jager (Canadian nationality) landed in Noi Bai airport. After checking-out, while unfamiliar to the new scenery, he accidentally met a man, who said that he was on the same SQ176 flight with him and asked if he wanted to share a taxi to Hanoi. Nathaniel agreed to the proposal after the man said that each of them would pay half of the taxi fee.

However, halfway through the ride, the man told Nathaniel to give VND 500,000 to pay tolls, and told him to pay VND 300,000 more to the driver when he got to the centre of the city.

As Nathaniel arrived in Vietnam for the first time, he did not have any information about the exchange rate. However, when he later talked to staff of Ban Mai Travel Firm, where he booked a tour, he realized that he was cheated, and that he had to pay too much (VND 800,000) to travel from Noi Bai airport to the centre of the city.

Dao Anh Son, Tour Operator of Ban Mai Travel Firm, said that the taxi that carried Nathaniel did not have a plate that showed the name of the firm. Therefore, he believed that these were illegal or unlicensed taxis, and that the two men were of the same gang.

Another passenger of the same flight with Nathaniel, also a client of Ban Mai, was also reportedly swindled. He was Han Mang Kwong, a Singaporean businessman, who had traveled to Vietnam several times before.

Foreign investors in Vietnam

Tran Thi Hoang Nguyen, Head of Tour Operation Division under Vidotour, said that the swindling, which people thought was cleared away, has recurred.

Illegal taxi drivers, who know that travel firms are not able to fetch their clients at the airport, come to see travelers, calling themselves an employee of the firms, and say that they are assigned to take the passengers to the hotels.

Deputy Director of Hai Ve Nu travel firms, Dong Minh Tuan related that he assigned two employees to wait in front of the entrance door at Noi Bai airport to fetch two clients from New Zealand, and he could not understand how an illegal taxi driver could meet and persuade the clients to follow him.

The driver then told the two clients that they had to pay tolls and an additional fee, including VND 1 million and USD $35 for the taxi from the airport to the hotel in the centre of Hanoi. The two travelers were frightened and disappointed with their trip to Hanoi.

While the grass grows, the horse starves

Travel firms said that the swindling cases all aim to separate travelers and the ones who are coming to Vietnam for the first time. Son complained that if the swindling cannot be settled, the image of Vietnam’s tourism will become distorted in the eyes of foreign tourists.

Under current regulations, taxi drivers are only allowed to stay in an area reserved for travel firms’ employees. However, in some cases, illegal taxi drivers can go farther inside to access travelers more easily.

Nguyen has raised the question that if there is a ‘collusion’ between the taxi drivers and the airport’s security officers.

However, Nguyen Huy Luan, Head of the Planning Division of the Northern Airports Corporation, denies the collusion.

In the first six months of 2008, Noi Bai airport’s police station discovered 73 cases of subjects trying to persuade travelers to take illegal taxis. However, the violators only had to pay fines, which could not help deter violators.

Dong Minh Tuan said that his firm has sent a dispatch to the Hanoi Culture, Information and Tourism Department, Soc Son district Police and Northern Airports Corporation to take drastic measures to stop the swindling on foreign travelers.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) is considering a proposal to apply necessary measures to stop the fraud, a part of an action plan to attract more foreign travelers to Vietnam.

Nguyen has advised travel firms and airlines to give a brief introduction about the destinations and give advice on traveling. In case travelers need more information, they can come to tourism kiosks at the airport for inquiries.

Ha Yen