Common Tourist Scams in Hoi An (and How to Avoid Them)
Scams + lantern-festival pickpocket density
- Lantern boats on the Thu Bon River: vendor children hand you a paper lantern then demand VND 50,000-100,000 once it floats. Agree price (~VND 20,000) before accepting; usually two lanterns per boat ride is enough.
- Old Town entry-ticket pattern: the official "Old Town ticket" (VND 120,000) is real and gives access to 5 of 22 heritage buildings — buy at the official kiosks (yellow signage). Aggressive sellers near Japanese Bridge pushing "full access" tickets at VND 250,000 are upselling.
- "My family's silk village" tour: motorbike taxi offers to show you "where your tailor's silk comes from" — ends at a commission-paying showroom with marked-up "silk" that's often polyester.
- Restaurant menu pricing without prices: a few touristy Bach Dang Street places hand menus without prices, then charge $30-50 for cao lầu. Always ask for the priced menu (English + Vietnamese).
- Cooking class quality variance: Red Bridge, Morning Glory, Tra Que Water Wheel are the established ones ($35-75, with market visit + boat ride). Street-corner $15 cooking classes are usually 1-hour stir-fry demos.
- Tailor delivery-to-hotel scams: garment arrives different from fitting; shop closed when you go back. Always do final fitting + payment at the shop, not delivery.
- ATM caution: use bank-branch ATMs (Vietcombank, BIDV, Techcombank) inside lobbies. Some withdraw caps low — VND 2-3 million per transaction.
- Card-terminal DCC: always pay in VND, never USD or "your home currency".
- Beach-vendor wristband scam: friendly walker ties a bracelet on you "for free" then demands VND 100,000-200,000. Decline at start.
Live Hoi An safety score (updates daily) →