VIETNAM: Bamboo Airways To Commence Flights In October 2018

There will be more flight options for Vietnam’s domestic and international travellers when property developer FLC Group JSC launches Bamboo Airways in October.

Planning to operate 37 routes, the airline wants to cash in on the growing domestic middle class and rising international tourist numbers.

The launch is set to go ahead as long as the airline receives the government’s aviation license, which is forthcoming according to Bamboo Airways chairman Trinh Van Quyet.

While the aviation in Vietnam already seems well served, according to IATA the Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City route is the sixth busiest in the world, and in the next 20 years the country will be in the top five of the world’s fastest-growing air travel markets.

The first half of this year saw the aviation industry move 23.6 million passengers, according to Hanoi’s General Statistics Office, an impressive increase of 15% year on year.

With a good investment, well-prepared staff and new aircraft, we will become a giant right after we launch the airline, added the chairman.

Bamboo Airways, is a startup airline by a Vietnamese construction company, FLC Group. The airline will be established with a charter capital of US$30.8 million.

The airline is to be based at Quy Nhon’s Phu Cat Airport. Bamboo Airways will commence operations in late 2018 or early 2019.

Bamboo Airways will serve destinations where FLC Group has heavily invested in tourism infrastructure, as well as other secondary domestic routes.

The airline was founded in 2017 and submitted it request to the Vietnamese prime minister for approval.

The government's approval was confirmed on July 9, 2018.

The airline will have to complete some procedures to acquire a licence of operation issued by the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam after it has been approved by the Prime Minister and the submitted dossiers for licence of operation have been reviewed by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam.

The airline's application for a licence shall have an official verification of investment capital, a chart of the company’s internal system, a contract for selling or renting aircraft, the company’s operating and transportation guidelines, and a strategy for product development.

The dossiers for license of operation was reviewed qualified by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam on July 27, 2018, and will be submitted to the Ministry of Transport for issuance of the license of operation.

The airline plans to launch with a fleet of 30 aircraft for domestic services. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus for 24 Airbus A321neos.

The airline will start operations with aircraft on lease from third party lessors before taking delivery of the aircraft from Airbus.

FLC Group chairman met leaders of Boeing on June 25-26 in Washington D.C. and they mutually finalized the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Boeing for 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, costed USD$ 5.6 billion, scheduled to deliver from April 2020.

Some experts doubt about the transactions concerning the financial capability of this startup, FLC actually purchased 44 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing in form of sale-and-leaseback.

The first flights will be launched on October 10, 2018 to the Vietnamese cities: Hanoi, Vinh, Dong Hoi, Nha Trang, Qui Nhon, Phu Quoc.


Tourism Observer

VIETNAM: Will Vietnam Declare Code Of Conduct For Only Chinese Tourists?

Last year March, Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it had released a nationwide code of conduct for tourists for the first time, instructing visitors on how to behave while on holiday.

Details such as where and how the guide was distributed are scant, but the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s (VNAT) official website declared that it would help international and local tourists, and tour operators “respect local customs and culture, abide by regulations at both tourist and public sights, provide help for the disabled, the elderly, children and women, and protect the environment.

Unfortunately, the code does not seem to contain any information pertaining to China’s controversial nine-dash line.

If it had, the headline-grabbing incident in May that saw a group of Chinese tourists having to remove T-shirts asserting Beijing’s claim over disputed South China Sea territory upon arrival at Cam Ranh International Airport, south of Nha Trang, might never have happened.

To say that relations between the two neighbours are strained is to put it mildly, with anti-China sentiment culminating in protests across Vietnam over the past few days against proposed special economic zones critics believe would favour Chinese investors.

And disapproval is not confined to government policy, with calls to restrict or even refuse visitors from the Middle Kingdom, according to an article published on June 15 by online newspaper VietnamNet, which went on to suggest that a code of conduct should be created specifically for Chinese tourists.

This follows widespread condemnation of zero-dong package tours, which inject little into the local economy, and the fining of Vietnamese tour guide Tran A Hung, in Da Nang, for having allowed a Chinese woman in his charge to spread distorted information about the history of Vietnam, in April.

The woman, Wang Jihong, told fellow travellers that the traditional Vietnamese dress, the áo dài, was based on the cheongsam and that Vietnam used to belong to China.

In the first five months of the year, Vietnam received 6.7 million tourists, an increase of 27.6 per cent on the same period in 2017, according to VNAT. Of those, 2.1 million came from China, 37 per cent more than in the corresponding months last year.

However, the current tension is likely to affect arrivals. Travel agencies were hurrying to alter routes and schedules as demonstrations broke out, while social-media users have announced that tour companies have begun cancelling trips following embassy and consulate warnings.

Following widespread anti-China protests in May 2014, the number of Chinese visitors to Vietnam fell sharply. If history repeats, the country might lose its top source of tourists, and that targeted code of conduct will not be necessary.

While Vietnam may be willing to lose out on Chinese travellers, Scottish businesses are hoping to cash in on a recent uptick, with the introduction of the first ever direct flights between the mainland and Scotland.

Hainan Airlines launched the Beijing to Edinburgh route on June 12, and already businesses are scrambling to fulfil Mandarin-speaking positions.

A hotelier in the Highlands, said: I struggled to get a Mandarin-speaking receptionist. There aren’t very many Mandarin speakers in Drumnadrochit.

While current numbers remain modest – a mere 41,000 Chinese tourists visited Alba in 2016, spending a total of £36 million (US$47.7 million) between them, according to VisitScotland, the castle-filled country wants a slice of the world’s most lucrative wedding market and is courting Chinese couples with its countless wedding-picture-perfect locations.

We are seeing more and more Chinese couples choose Edinburgh’s historic heart to take official photos prior to their wedding, said Rob Lang, chairman of Edinburgh Tourism Action Group’s China Ready initiative.

That such a drive exists just goes to show how serious Scottish destinations are about making this particular union a happy one.


Tourism Observer

VIETNAM: Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321 Lands On A Runway Under Construction

Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321, performing flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang with 203 passengers and 7 crew, had performed an RNAV runway 20 approach and was cleared to land on runway 20 but touched down on the runway under construction to become runway 20L.

The aircraft rolled out, the engines sucked a number of foreign objects from the runway surface in.

Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority rated the occurrence a serious incident, suspended the flight crew, and opened an investigation into the occurrence.

According to the captain’s narrative the runway was marked 20 with no crosses over the threshold or down the runway.

The crew did notice that no runway lights including PAPIs were active, however, realized only after touchdown that the runway was still under construction and brought the aircraft to a full stop.

The charts in use did not depict the runway under construction.

On May 2nd 2018 The Aviation Herald received information, that the new runway had been put into operations for a 300 meters portion to be used only by military aircraft.

This had been NOTAMED in 2017 permanently, however, the NOTAM had not been forwarded to the crew.

In addition, the airline stated: The VVCR airport charts 10-9 and 10-9-0 depict Unservicable Area for the construction zone of the new runway and taxiways.

Although runway 02R/20L was partly put into operations for military aircraft, an AIP Supplement released by Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority on Apr 26th 2018 makes clear the runways had not yet been renamed as necessary to become 02L/R and 20R/L, runway 02L/20R still is named runway 02/20 by Apr 26th 2018.


Tourism Observer

VIET NAM: China's Ban On Travel To South Korea,Chinese Tourists Flock Vietnam

According to Luong Quang So, head of the Mong Cai economic zone management board, on the days just before and after Tet (late January and early February), only 8,000-10,000 foreign travelers, including 2,500-3,500 Chinese, entered Vietnam through the Mong Cai border gate each day.

However, the figure increased sharply to 15,000 a day, including 5,000 from China in the last week, an increase of 50 percent over the same period last year.

Duong Van Co, chair of Mong Cai City, said that the increasing number of travelers has put pressure on customs clearance, but this has not had any impact on public order and tourism management.

The accommodations and tourism sites in Mong Cai are still capable of catering to travelers because most of the travelers go on domestic routes.

Thousands of Chinese travelers entered Vietnam through the Mong Cai international border gate two days after China's ban on travel to South Korea.

According to Co, as the number of tourists increases, the fees and charges collected from tourists at the border gate will increase. In 2016, the local authorities collected VND230 billion from this source.

On March 8, South Korean agencies said the Chinese administration met with representatives of tourism agencies and travel firms in Beijing and told the firms to stop providing tours to South Korea, commencing from March 15.

Seoul believes that the move is an unofficial sanction amid South Korea’s THAAD missile system deployment.

Beijing said it was disappointed about the South Korea’s decision, while it revealed to make comments about the retaliation plan.

Analysts said if Chinese travelers are prohibited from going to South Korea, they would flock to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam instead.

Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Da Nang City Tourism Department, said the department is keeping a close watch over the number of Chinese travelers.

The facilities in the city will still be able to serve Chinese travelers even if the number of tourists increases, Cuong said.

The sea city of Da Nang, with one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, last year received 400,000 Chinese travelers. There are 25 air routes from China to Da Nang with 81 flights provided a week.

Nha Trang City of Khanh Hoa province is also popular with Chinese travelers. It received 1.1 million foreign travelers in 2016, including 525,000 Chinese travelers.

However, Nha Trang has been warned not to rely on the Chinese market. Tran Viet Trung, director of Khanh Hoa Tourism Department, admitted that the rapid development of the Chinese market has caused embarrassing problems in management.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is working with some localities that are popular destinations among Chinese tourists such as Quang Ninh, Danang and Khanh Hoa to cope with travel firms providing poor-quality tours to protect the interests of customers.

Vietnam’s tourism industry is taking a number of measures to increase service quality to welcome a greater number of Chinese visitors to the country, which is estimated to rise 50% to four million this year.

The agency also organizes many tourism promotion programs in China. Particularly, from May 11 to 20, the agency will cooperate with several travel firms to introduce Vietnam’s tourism in four Chinese cities, including Nanning, Fuzhou, Nanjing and Hefei.

The number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam has increased rapidly and is forecast to set a new record by the end of this year, with four million visitors, compared to 2.7 million in 2016.

The most popular Vietnamese destinations chosen by Chinese tourists include Hanoi, Halong, and Ninh Binh in the north; Danang, Hoi An, Hue and Nha Trang in the central region; and HCMC and Phu Quoc in the south.

Tour operators have also prepared themselves for the upsurge in Chinese arrivals.

Last year, the number of Chinese visitors increased by 50% and we expect strong growth this year. Therefore, we have to prepare hotel rooms in advance to ensure better service for the tourist season at the end of 2017, said Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travel Trading Company Limited,Lien Bang Travelink.

Similarly, Chinese tourists account for 60-70% of total international arrivals catered to by local tour operator Vietravel, and the company usually receives large orders for groups of tourists all year round.

VIETNAM: Chinese Tourists In Vietnam

A record year for visitors from the Chinese mainland is filling municipal coffers, but tensions are emerging as the Vietnamese tourism industry struggles to keep up.

A long day following the tourist trail in Da Nang, on Vietnam’s central coast. And as the group’s attention fades, somewhere around Linh Ung Pagoda and its huge statue of the Goddess of Mercy, their tour guide rattles off an alternative version of Vietnam’s history and culture.

It’s late and it’s hot, and thoughts have turned to air-conditioned hotel rooms, so the Chinese group can be forgiven for missing the subtle geopolitical implications of what their unlicensed leader is saying.

For instance, the guide tells them while Vietnam is no longer a part of China and has claimed its independence, it still depends on China and pays tribute to it. Or that the city’s My Khe Beach, a broad sweep of white sand once dubbed China Beach by American soldiers, really belongs to China.

That such bold claims are being made should perhaps come as no surprise. Many of the unlicensed guides who have sprouted up to feed off Vietnam’s Chinese tourism boom will feel they are merely playing to an audience that naturally sees things from a China-centric perspective, or that they are simply rehashing official Chinese narratives of domination over Southeast Asia and particularly the South China Sea – the very body of water overlooked by Da Nang.

But the fact that such accounts are being given here on Vietnamese soil is something far more controversial, and is just one example of the growing tensions brought on by an influx of Chinese visitors, which has filled municipal coffers but left the country’s tourism industry struggling to meet demand.

A record 2.7 million Chinese tourists arrived in Vietnam in 2016 – a 55 per cent increase over the previous year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. That means tourists from mainland China accounted for 30 per cent of Vietnam’s total foreign arrivals.

Most Chinese visitors head to either Da Nang or Nha Trang, two coastal cities in the centre of the country famed for their beaches, historical sights and seafood.

This has caused headaches for the local tourism industries, and especially Vietnamese guides.

Some Chinese guides operating in the country have been accused of telling their groups that Vietnam hates China, and that they should not believe anything the local guides say. They are also accused of using regional dialects so that Mandarin- or Cantonese-speaking Vietnamese guides cannot understand them.

“Lately, some unlicensed Chinese guides have provided incorrect information on the territory and island disputes in the South China Sea,” says Nguyen Huu Tuan, sales manager at In-Out Tour Company, based in Ho Chi Minh City. “Unlicensed Chinese guides have destroyed the truth, causing worries for the Vietnamese people and the government,” he says.

It’s not only what the guides are saying – but that they are operating at all – that has angered local operators.

“By law, foreigners are not allowed to be tour guides in our country,” says Tran Tra, chairman of the Da Nang Tour Guide Club. At first, “Vietnamese tour guides were happy at the increase in Chinese arrivals in 2016,” he says, as they thought “they would have more opportunities to earn more money and increase their living standards”.

But the opposite happened – they have been losing business because “Chinese tour operators have illegally assigned Chinese tour leaders to act as guides”.

Aside from the legal aspects, local guides feel slighted by what they see as a lack of cooperation from Chinese guides and operators, says Cao Tri Dung, chairman of the Da Nang Travel Association.

Tensions reached a head in July, when the governments of Da Nang and Nha Trang cracked down on unlicensed guides. Da Nang deported four Chinese guides for working illegally. The guides were also fined US$4,200, while the company that hired them had its licence revoked and was fined US$560. The same month, Khanh Hoa Province, home to Nha Trang, expelled 66 Chinese who were working illegally in the travel industry.

The growing conflict over guides can be seen as part of a larger narrative of the countries’ relationship.

Despite close economic ties, China and its people are often unpopular with ordinary Vietnamese and recent diplomatic disputes, particularly in the South China Sea, have exacerbated resentment. Vietnam is proud of its history and land, and perceived efforts by foreign guides to distort facts are not taken lightly. At the same time, the behaviour of some Chinese tourists has not helped.

In June, a Chinese visitor reportedly burned Vietnamese currency in front of a bar in Da Nang. Chinese visitors have also been accused of harassing street vendors, trying to pay for items with Chinese yuan and threatening staff at Cam Ranh International Airport outside of Nha Trang. The Da Nang government has responded by publishing 5,000 copies of an etiquette booklet written in Chinese. These will be distributed in public places and list acceptable behaviour, such as queueing to buy tickets, respecting local culture and not littering or getting drunk in public.

Despite the blips, many Vietnamese recognise the spending power of Chinese tourists as something to be welcomed. As Tuan, from the In-Out Tour Company, says, “the fact that more and more Chinese visitors are coming will boost local tourism, and the economy”.

And with Da Nang and Nha Trang now firmly established as popular holiday spots for affluent Chinese, regional governments recognise more can be done to welcome their visitors. Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Da Nang Tourism Department, says Chinese tourists have become frustrated at a lack of Chinese-speaking Vietnamese guides, so the department is now working to educate and train more guides to meet these demands. “We are also collaborating with the Da Nang University of Foreign Languages, tourist sites and travel agents to build and provide Chinese language resources at certain tourist attractions.”

Airline VietJet has launched a weekly flight from Zhengzhou to Da Nang on January 12.

Through initiatives such as this and the etiquette booklet, Da Nang and Nha Trang hope to nurture the welcome aspects of Chinese tourism even as they cut down on some of the less welcome ones – tour guides with bold claims among them.

VIETNAM: Scams Tourists Must Be Ready For

Vietnam was the place where I encountered my first travel scam and it will always be etched in my memory. In fact, it has even inspired the creation of this site!

A place of breath-taking natural beauty, Vietnam is also home to a sizeable bunch of shrewd scammers. Almost everyone who has been here has met one!

Here is a list of 24 common scams in Vietnam, categorised by the sections “tourist activities”, “transport”, “accommodation”, and “misc”.

Those three wheel bicycles/trishaws you see lining the streets at tourist attractions? Avoid them at all costs. What they do is they will approach you and offer a ride where you can pay as much as you want, or not at all! Now, alarm bells would have begun ringing for anyone with half a brain.

However, what they do next is brilliant. They will take out a notebook and show you all the positive reviews in it. You will find extremely detailed reviews praising the driver and the trip in different languages and in different handwriting. As someone who knows a few languages, I was able to verify a number of them.

The cyclo operator is also an extremely glib speaker. He is able to build rapport (this is easy, for instance, enquiry about your country and sharing some knowledge of it) and address any of your fears (such as allowing you to stop halfway if you wish). Once you get onto the cyclo, the driver will then attempt to build trust with you bit by bit.

End of the day, once all trust has been built, he will bring you somewhere secluded, fish out a list of prices based on hours of service and demand payment. You pretty much have no choice but to pay.

However, it must be said that a cyclo experience can be an interesting one. To protect yourself, agree a clear price before hiring one and make sure that you stop at a place you know.

This is common around the world, but it is much more easily implemented here due to the large note denomination.

Overcharging can occur in many different forms, such as over conversion of currency, giving less change by rounding up/down, not giving any change by insisting on a tip, or even changing the fare once the service is completed!

Many places also quote in USD to make overcharging easier for them – either by rounding up to USD (which is higher than the value in Vietnamese Dong) or by demanding payment in Dong while using an unacceptable exchange rate.

Also beware when a vendor tells you 10, it could mean 10 USD, 10,000 Dong or even something else! Besides this, always ensure that the fee is for everyone in the group and not for each individual.

For popular tourist markets such as Ben Thanh market, prices are also marked up a few HUNDRED times, more if you are a Caucasian. Be ready to haggle or not buy!

Finally, be extremely careful with the cash in your wallet, keep them out of sight from the public and from the shopkeepers.

There are some vendors who sell books in boxes at cheap prices. But alas, those books are photocopies! You would not know as these “books” are wrapped up. Some of those are also of low quality – errors in pages, etc.

Then, there are other vendors who will invite you to take a photo with them. Once taken, they will demand a fee, a tip, or a purchase of their products. Ignore, and you will be hounded until you pay.

For instance, we have the fruit ladies of Hanoi. They will offer to lend you a fruit basket and to take a photo of you. It’s difficult to escape if you have taken the bait as they work in large groups. Something worse that might happen is that you get pickpocketed in the process.

Also, you might come across fake beggars. Some examples are fake cripples, hungry babies are actually asleep due to alcohol and people fake sickness and weakness. Do not donate or you will be hounded as well.

Moving on to Sapa, we have the textile women who tries to guilt trip you. They accompany you on trips, share their life stories, build trust and rapport and at the end of it all, ask that you buy handicrafts from them while crying.

Finally, avoid those pesky photographers who offer to take photos of you. Firstly, they will take multiple photos and demand a much higher payment. Secondly, they will not deliver the photos to you as promised.

Unscrupulous Tour Companies, there are many of such black sheep in the industry.

For instance, some of them claim to provide snorkelling, island trips etc which they do, but only allow for a meagre amount of time for them. There are also many grey areas they could capitalise on such as allowing for overbooking of trips.

As mentioned earlier, also ensure that the price paid is for everyone in the group!

For boat trips, it is also important to buy return tickets rather than one way ones, as you might be exploited when you find no other means of return.

Thus, it is recommended to check out online reviews of the tour companies before committing.

Restaurants that Do Not Display Prices,avoid them, but if you must try, do ask about the prices before ordering. If all you get are vague replies, that’s the sign to leave.

Be careful of those that list prices in USD as well – they might demand payment in Vietnamese Dong and use some unreasonably expensive exchange rate

Overcharging by Restaurants,those nuts or fruits they serve you before the start of the meal? Reject them, as they cost an exorbitant amount.

For those who tend to stay long at restaurants, try to keep whatever you’ve ordered at your table be it empty plates or bottles. This is to collect evidence and prevent restaurants from overcharging you by asking you to pay for something that you did not order.

Always inspect your goods after purchase, especially those that are wrapped, as they might be swapped. The same goes for your change or if you were to change money at a money changer.

Also, note that a very common scam in Vietnam is that vendors will claim that something is free. Once you have used it (service, food, etc), payment will be demanded and you will be hounded until you pay.

Besides street vendors who peddle fake ware, there are many shops which sell fake stuff as well, such as silk and even war relics! So do know what you’re buying and make sure to verify them before buying.

Place is closed,a popular scam in Asia (Thailand especially), someone or anyone might approach you and inform you that a place is closed.

They will then offer to bring you somewhere else where they can get commission. Never trust anyone who tells you that, especially one who can speak good English.

Karaoke/Prostitution,Illegal in Vietnam,is a simple scam, yet one that many inexperienced male tourists fall for.

At the karoke, a male tourist might be approached by a hooker. Money is given to book a room but the hooker disappears. Next, the bill comes and the tourist is charged an obscene amount! If you refuse to pay, you will simply be beaten up by the mafia there.

As shared by a reader in the comments section below, even hookers a scam in themselves – pretty girls are advertised on flyers, but when push comes to shove, they do not turn out to be as advertised.

Massage scam,as generously shared by another reader, massage places in Hanoi are a big scam. They advertise a low price for their services, but when the bill comes, you will find that you are charged for a ton of ancillary products, such as water!

Motorbike rentals can get pretty tricky in Vietnam (especially in Nha Trang and Mui Ne). There are the common scams (common as in common globally), where the owner follows you and “steal” your rented bike back and demand compensation. Another common one would be mechanical problems in the bike which the owner will demand compensation by you.

Also, there are many fake Honda motorbikes around. It would be good to know your bike or to research the specs on the web before booking.

In Vietnam, you also require a Vietnamese driving permit. If you are caught without one, the motorbike can be impounded for a month and you would have to continue paying for the bike.

Some motorbike “taxis” might approach you with an offer, which they claim is cheaper than normal taxis. Or they might say don’t worry about the fee, just go first and if you’re happy, you pay how much you want.

They might even say that there is no bus to the place that you want to go! That is pretty much BS. Some others use the “cyclos scam”, where they claim to bring you around for free but in actual fact, bring you to a secluded spot and demand huge sums of money.

Do note that these people have no training or certification. This means that not only is your wallet at risk, but your life is at risk as well.

Speaking of taxis, there are taxis with tampered meters – do watch out for that at first instead of simply relaxing in your seat. Taxi meters are based on distances, not time, so if you see one jumping wildly even when you are stationary, you know it is a scam!

There are also some who demand tips and some who claim to take shortcuts but are in fact longer routes (good to know the location). In fact, there are even fake Taxis in Vietnam!

To prevent yourself from falling prey to those, only take cabs from Mai Linh (green taxi), Vinasun (white taxi) or Taxi Group. Also, never agree to a fixed fee.

For those who arrange for taxi transport from the airports through your hotel, do be wary as well! There are operators who learn the details of these arranged pick ups and pose as the assigned driver from the hotel. They pick you up, call their accomplice and then claim that the hotel is full. They will then bring you to another hotel which they get commissions from.

The rough cost: 10,000 Dong to exit airport; 150,000 Dong to get to the main tourist area. If you realise that you are scammed, do not pay. Instead, take a photo of his ID and meter and threaten that you will report it to his taxi company.

Purchase of Train Tickets from Private Travel Agents,These touts will approach you and claim that the mode of transport you taking is delayed and offer to help you get a new ticket. They tend to buy for you a cheaper ticket than the one you requested.

As most people do not know Vietnamese, they are unlikely to spot the difference. It is also pretty much impossible to demand a refund as by the time you realise the scam, you would have been on the train already.

There are also some who might offer to carry your luggage as the distance to the platform is rather far. Just ignore.

Purchase of Train Tickets Online, Would you believe it.. There are even fake train websites in Vietnam! A good resource for train planning is Seat 61 (http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm).

If possible, only get your tickets from your hotel or reputable travel agents.

This is a very common transport option taken by backpackers wishing to travel from the North to South or vice versa. However, there are also many scams associated and it is important to only buy from reputable companies!

Besides booking a lower quality bus than you had paid for, some buses might even stop unexpectedly at night and force you to stay elsewhere. Lo and behold, there is only one hotel in the vicinity and the owner is more than ready to accept you.

Another version is that they stop at a petrol station and force you off. So coincidentally, someone at the petrol station will extort you to pay an amount to take a cab to somewhere to transfer to another bus.

Luggage Fee,sometimes, you might be asked to pay more because you have a larger or heavier bag by bus or train staff. It is pure nonsense, there is no such rule.

When any company in the travel industry becomes popular/famous in Vietnam, there will be new companies popping up with similar sounding names and many have been scammed in the process.

For instance, ODC Travel, Handspan, Kangaroo Café. The most notorious of the lot would be the dozens of Sinh Cafes around the country – the real one is now called the Sinh Tourist (http://www.thesinhtourist.vn/)!

Fake Hotel Scam,today’s online world, it is easy for unscrupulous hotels to create fake reviews. Some hotels also advertise low room fees online, but when you arrive, they will claim that the low fees were for the standard rooms which have been fully booked. To book the higher end rooms, you will have to pay a lot more.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, there are many copycats hotels which trade on popular names. Thus, to verify a hotel, check its location in addition to its name.

Hotel Fee Scam,some hotels also demand that you pay more (usually double) as the fee advertised was for one person and not for one room (usually double rooms). If your passport is held at the reception, your bargaining power is further reduced. To prevent this, always confirm your rates upon arrival.

Besides this, some hotels might advertise certain facilities online, such as a fireplace or air conditioning. However, to use them in your room, they will demand additional fees!

Pickpockets and Snatch Theft,as with places with crowds, pickpockets and snatch theft are common and one must always be alert and careful.

This is more common in Ho Chi Minh City, where the bag snatchers even have a name for themselves, which is the Saigon Cowboys. Watch out for child pickpockets as well!

Sometimes, pickpockets work with street touts. A street tout talks to and distracts you, while the pickpocket swipes your valuables. Be wary in such situations and check your bag if you feel someone brush against you.

Do note that other cities such as Hanoi and Nha Trang face situations too.

Hanoi Shoe Repair,This is a less common scam, though watch out if you are wearing worn out shoes!

For this scam, some guy approaches you out of nowhere and applies glue to your shoes. Next, he would take out a thread and tell you that your shoes are about to fall apart, which he can repair for $1.

If you didn’t realise, that glue is actually a solvent that dissolves stitches! Should you say yes, he would then proceed. However, the trouble does not end when the job is completed, as he will be demanding $10 or more!

Drugs in Hue, if you are offered drugs, do NOT take them. You will be reported to the police and the “reporters” will be rewarded for tipping the police off.

Invitation to a Card Game,this is a pretty common scam around the world, such as in Europe and have personally encountered this in Morocco.

Anyhow, the script is similar. Firstly, a friendly man approaches you, asks where you’re from and remarks that his sister/daughter will be going there either to work or study!

In this context, rapport is easily built as it feels that you have found someone close in a land of strangers. There will be also be this urge to share more about your home country, which the scammer will tap on. He will invite you over to his house where you could share helpful advice over a meal. But upon reaching the house, lo and behold, the man’s sister/daughter is not there!

Instead, you find the man’s brother/uncle who will get you to play some card game such as blackjack or Poker. You might also be taught some tricks so as to work together to cheat other visitors who will be coming soon. Regardless of the situation, you will lose. Here’s a fascinating recount of an experience with this scam.

Internet Cafes,keyboard loggers, viruses, spywares and what have you are common in Internet cafes. Do not do anything in there that can potentially expose your personal or financial data.

Paying Excessively More when Buying through Agents,as kindly shared by one of our readers, Frank, he paid 290k VND for a SIM card through an agent at the airport. It was supposed to provide 30 days unlimited 3G access, but died after 5 days. When he went down to the official store, that was when he realized that the plan he had purchased was a 90k VND plan.

Getting help, Emergency numbers:
Police: 113

Fire: 114

Ambulance: 115

CHINA: Chinese Tourists Angered By Vietnam Airport Customs Officers Demanding Bribes

A group of Chinese tourists caused an uproar inside Vietnam's Cam Ranh International Airport on Monday after customs officers demanded that they give them tips.

The tourists were on their way to a flight back to Sichuan from the coastal resort of Nha Trang in southern Vietnam when they ran into problems at customs. One of the tourists posted an account of the incident on Weibo, claiming that Vietnamese customs officers asked for a 10 yuan tip from each traveler, threatening to seize the passports of any who refused to pay up.

Some who did refuse were then asked for more and more money. One man was eventually forced to pay 100 yuan so that he, his wife and their child could get on the plane.

Predictably this situation led to a confrontation between about 100 Chinese tourists and a dozen Vietnamese officers. In a series of videos that have gone viral on Chinese social media, Chinese tourists can be seen protesting against this latest injustice by using the tried and true tactic of breaking out into the Chinese national anthem.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Vietnamese customs officers readied their stun guns.

Overall, the incident did not result in much violence. One woman said that officers had struck her husband on the back with a stun gun while he was trying to film the confrontation.

Netizens from across China have wrote in, claiming that they were also hassled for tips when returning from Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries, and arguing that Chinese tourists should no longer visit Vietnam until these issues are resolved.

The Chinese consulate in Ho Chi Minh City has confirmed that the incident took place, issuing a statement to say that all Chinese citizens involved have already returned to the mainland and that they have requested an immediate response from the Vietnamese government. So far, nothing from Hanoi.

State media reports that already, in just the first four months of this year, 789,500 Chinese tourists have traveled to Vietnam, an increase of 47% from last year. Which all seems like pretty good money for Vietnamese customs officers, blackmailing Chinese tourists leaving the country with luxury items -- like lucky pears, brides and lychees, we presume.

While extorting travelers seems to have been a fairly common practice in the past for Vietnamese customs, in recent years, various anti-corruption crackdowns have managed to mend the ways of unscrupulous officers, though apparently it hasn't worked on everyone.

CHINA: Beijing Capital Airlines Adds New International Routes From Sanya In W15

Beijing Capital Airlines this month is introducing a number new International flights from Sanya, with flights to Vietnam and Thailand. Planned operation for these new routes as follow.

eff 19DEC15 Sanya – Cam Ranh/Nha Trang 2 weekly
JD331 SYX0600 – 0615CXR 320 26
JD332 CXR0715 – 0910SYX 320 26

eff 21DEC15 Sanya – Phuket 3 weekly
JD357 SYX0135 – 0400HKT 320 4
JD357 SYX2220 – 0030+1HKT 320 1
JD357 SYX2335 – 0220+1HKT 320 5

JD358 HKT0130 – 0530SYX 320 2
JD358 HKT0320 – 0710SYX 320 6
JD358 HKT0500 – 0855SYX 320 4

eff 27DEC15 Sanya – Da Nang 2 weekly
JD381 SYX2300 – 2315DAD 320 37
JD382 DAD0015 – 0225SYX 320 14

VIETNAM: Vietjet Air Overview

Vietjet private airline announced a first commercial flight from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi on 25 Dec 2013. This is the second cheap airline in Vietnam. After nearly 4 years licensed and Vietjet Air has officially joined in the domestic aviation market. It will make farmer, worker or poor people can have chance to fly.

Vietjet air pilot and plane
VietJet air is proud of owning a new fleet, most modern and environmentally friendly. Most of the new aircraft is 100% and the average age less than 3 years old. VietJet air is the first airline in Vietnam owned Sharklet modern A320 aircraft, Airbus' latest.

Vietjet air Itinerary
Since the first day, Vietjet air operates only the route Ho Chi Minh- Hanoi. Nowadays, it connects 11 cities of Vietnam including: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Danang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Vinh, Hai Phong, Buon Ma Thuot, Hue, Da Lat, Quy Nhon. In addition, it also starts to operate international flight to Bangkok and Singapore.

Vietjet air service
Time schedule: It is similar to Jetstar Pacific with low commitment of time schedule. The flight time can be changed suddenly and cause a lot inconvenience for passenger. The flight can be delayed for 12 hours because number of flights per day for a specific route is only one or two.

Service at the airport:
This is also the weakness of Vietjet air. When it tries the best to sell tickets at the cheapest price to make customer happy, it also causes passengers stressfully at the airport with low processing time and no assistance when its passengers needed.

Airline meals:
VietJet air’s passengers have choice to buy or not to buy meals when they make bookings. However, if you forget to order meal when make booking, you can order on plane but with limitation of available food. Beverage also be served with fee on plane.

Vietjet air luggage

Hand Baggage
Each passenger can carry free 7kg hand bag with the dimensions not to exceed 56cm × 36cm × 23 cm.

Checked Baggage
Passengers have to purchase a 15kg, 20kg, 25kg, 30kg, 35kg or 40kg baggage when make booking. However, weight of each bag must not exceed 32 kg with dimension not to exceed 119cm × 119cm × 81cm. A baggage fee is charged for the carriage of checked baggage. Baggage fees are not refundable and not transferable.