Illegal taxis making travel tough for Viet Nam residents, tourists

Nguyen Chi Hieu hailed a slow-moving taxi when he and his family arrived at Sai Gon’s hydrofoil station on their way back from a weekend beach vacation in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.

After telling the driver to take them to their home in Binh Thanh District, he recognized that he was in an illegal taxi that displayed the logo and phone number of a reputable taxi company.

“We were well aware of the presence of scam taxis through the media. But we were really tired after the hydrofoil trip and forgot to carefully check the taxi brand,” he said.

“I decided to continue driving, but kept a close eye on every movement of the driver as well as the meter to see if there was anything unusual,” he said. “Finally, we paid $7, as the meter showed, although we normally pay only $4 to go the same distance. It was a scam taxi and the meter may have been modified to increase the fare.”

But Hieu was luckier than some foreign tourists, who have been badly ripped off by con taxis in big cities.

In a recent case, Ha Noi police arrested Nguyen Van Thong and Nguyen Van Hung in Ha Noi for allegedly swindling a Swedish tourist on a drive from Noi Bai International Airport to a hotel on Hoan Kiem District.

Police said Hung offered Thong’s taxi – which was unregistered – to the tourist for $14. On the trip, they told the tourist to pay $190, supposedly to cover tolls and other fees.

In May, a Malaysian tourist in Sai Gon took a trick taxi from Ben Thanh Market to Tan Son Nhat International Airport and was charged $190 for a trip that should have cost only $7 in a registered taxi.

In a recent effort to improve taxi services and busting scam artists, the Transport Ministry conducted inspections of taxi companies in Ha Noi and Sai Gon, suspending 11 taxi firms, including six in Ha Noi and five in Sai Gon.

Thach Nhu Sy, the ministry’s deputy chief inspector, said the offending taxi firms also were fined for violations, which included not following registered car colors and logos and failing to monitor their vehicles’ operation.

-From wire reports