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# Scams in Hanoi 2026: Old Quarter Shoe-Shine, Fruit Photo, Cyclo and Fake Tour Tricks
- URL: https://blog.fizen.io/hanoi-scams-2026/
- Published: 2026-11-02T09:53:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T09:20:01.000Z
- Description: Hanoi's Old Quarter scams come down to a handful of patterns: the shoe-shine that starts before you agree, the fruit-pole photo, the cyclo ride priced per head, the sweet seller and the fake tour desk. Dated 2025 and 2026 cases, plus what to do.
- Author: Quinn Dao
- Tags: Travel & Nomad, Guides

**Quick answer:** As of November 2026, the scams visitors report most in Hanoi's Old Quarter are street sellers who start a service or pile goods into your hands before agreeing a price (a conical hat priced at VND 850,000 in January 2026 and about ten donuts at VND 430,000 in June 2026), cyclo drivers who charge per person (VND 1.2 million for an Australian family in September 2025) and tour desks with look-alike names. Agree every price in dong before anything is handed over or started, and book tours on the operator's own website.

**Key takeaways**

- **Say the price first.** Every case below began with no price agreed. Ask 'how much in total?' and have it typed on your phone.
- **Do not let anyone touch your shoes or hand you a hat, pole or snack.** They rely on you already holding the item.
- **Cyclo: one price for the whole ride.** A September 2025 case was VND 1.2 million for a short ride, refunded after police stepped in.
- **Book tours on the operator's own site,** not via a desk with a copied name or a social page with a bargain price.

A woman has put a conical hat on your head on Hang Gai and is lifting a camera. That second, before anyone has said a price, is where most Old Quarter scams start.

Two habits defuse most of them: stay online so you can check a price or a tour company in seconds, and keep notes out of the argument. The Fizen app helps with both. Your travel eSIM gift is waiting there, US$10 of eSIM credit off the bill automatically at checkout (up to 30% of each plan, new users only), and in Vietnam it has QR Pay for shops with a bank QR. [Get the Fizen app](https://link.fizen.io/s/B3Aenpj7fz?ref=blog.fizen.io).

## Which scams do visitors meet most in Hanoi's Old Quarter?

VnExpress International reported on 3 March 2026 that overcharging is most common in the Old Quarter and at festivals. Tran Trung Hieu, deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, said gouging remains a problem and the department has set up a tourist hotline. Fines are a few hundred thousand dong, which insiders called too low to deter.

| Scam                    | The tell                                        | What to do                                      |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Shoe-shine or repair    | Someone pulls a shoe off or points at your sole | Keep walking; say no before anything is touched |
| Fruit pole or hat photo | Item in your hands, camera up, no price         | Hand it straight back; photos are not free      |
| Cyclo ride              | Price quoted per person or per hour, vague      | One written total in dong before you sit        |
| Fake tour desk          | Name copies a known brand; far cheaper          | Check the operator's own site                   |

## How does the Hanoi shoe-shine scam work?

A man points at your sandal, removes it and starts gluing or stitching. VnExpress International reported on 2 November 2018 that police detained nine people for harassing and cheating foreigners. Repairs were charged at VND 400,000 to VND 800,000 against a normal VND 20,000 for polishing and VND 50,000 for minor repairs, and four of them had been fined US$100 each in 2016 and returned to the same work. VietNamNet (14 September 2015) quoted an Australian visitor charged VND 900,000 for minor sewing.

**Tell-tale sign:** the work starts before you agree. **What to do:** do not stop walking, and if a shoe is already off, say the price you will pay in dong and hand over only that. No 2026 police case about shoe-shiners turned up, so treat this as the documented pattern, not a fresh wave.

## What is the fruit-seller and photo scam, and the 'price after' trick?

In the fruit-pole version a seller puts the carrying pole on your shoulder for a photo, then asks for money or pushes overpriced fruit; guides from 2017 and 2021 say do not pick up the pole. Recent cases follow the same logic. Tuoi Tre reported on 13 January 2026 that a vendor on Hang Gai Street returned only VND 150,000 from two VND 500,000 notes for a conical hat, implying VND 850,000 against an intended VND 250,000; a hotel manager saw it on camera and police fined her VND 225,000 for illegal roadside selling.

On 11 June 2026 Tuoi Tre reported that a viral video showed a visitor near Hoan Kiem Lake paying VND 430,000 for about ten Vietnamese donuts and a small pastry, when stalls surveyed charged VND 5,000 to VND 7,000 a donut. Hoan Kiem Ward said it was investigating; no finding had been published. **Tell-tale sign:** goods bagged before a price is said. **What to do:** ask the price per piece and pay with small notes.

## Are cyclo rides in the Old Quarter a scam?

The ride is fine; the pricing is the trap. Tuoi Tre reported on 23 September 2025 that two cyclo drivers charged an Australian family of four VND 1.2 million (about US$45) for a short Old Quarter tour. Hoan Kiem police identified both, who admitted it, apologised, returned the full amount and signed a commitment not to overcharge.

**Tell-tale sign:** 'cheap, no problem' or a price that turns out to be per person. **What to do:** agree one total for the whole group and the route, type it into your phone and show it before you sit.

## What about the taxi and motorbike tricks?

The banknote switch, the fake ride-hail driver at Noi Bai and the February 2026 xe om overcharge are in our [Vietnam taxi scams guide](https://blog.fizen.io/vietnam-taxi-scams-2026/) and the [note switch explainer](https://blog.fizen.io/vietnam-500000-vs-20000-dong-note-taxi-swap-2026/), so they are not repeated here.

## How do fake tours and look-alike tour desks work?

Two kinds. Online, The Star (26 May 2025) reported experts warning of fake pages impersonating hotels, airlines and tour operators with deep discounts, deposit fraud and fake sites bought as search ads; one resort brand found about 170 fake pages. The street kind: guides describe Old Quarter desks with names that copy well-known operators, sell a Ha Long cruise or transfer at several times the real cost, or offer a price far below competitors with no boat name or written itinerary. The street part is paraphrased from guides, not an official source.

**Tell-tale sign:** a bargain with no boat name or contract. **What to do:** find the operator's own website yourself, match the contact details, get the boat name and itinerary in writing, and pay by a traceable method.

## What do other travellers say?

Paraphrased from guides and search snippets, because we could not open Reddit or Tripadvisor threads for this piece:

- Decline anything handed to you in the Old Quarter once, calmly, and keep moving.
- Ask the hotel front desk what a ride, a repair or a tour should cost before you go out.
- If it goes wrong, photograph the seller and goods and report to the ward police or the tourist hotline; the 2025 and 2026 cases ended in refunds.

## How do an eSIM and QR Pay help in Hanoi?

With your own data you can check a Grab price, look up a tour operator's site and message the hotel before agreeing anything. One option is Fizen's Asia plan, which, as of 2 November 2026, runs on Viettel Mobile 4G in Vietnam; fixed-data plans slow to 128 kbps after the allowance. Check the eSIM tab in the app for current Vietnam plans. A fault on Fizen's side gets a free 1:1 replacement for the whole trip from a real person in live chat. It is data only, so keep your home SIM on for bank codes. Install it on home Wi-Fi before you fly.

For shops that show a bank QR: Fizen QR Pay lets foreign visitors in Vietnam pay VietQR, VNPay, MoMo and ZaloPay codes from USDT, with the amount shown in dong before you confirm. It does not stop you agreeing a bad price, so settle the price first. It is for visitors only (people who live in Vietnam cannot use it there) and pays only Vietnamese account holders' codes. Create or import the self-custody Fizen wallet, get USDT on Solana or BNB Chain into it, deposit into QR Pay (no gas on BNB Chain, a little SOL on Solana; KYC per wallet and device), then scan and pay. USDT on another network, or another token, cannot be deposited. Limits: US$800 per payment, US$1,000 per week, no daily limit. USDT in QR Pay is governed by the QR Pay Terms, so move in only what you plan to spend. Steps: [QR Pay getting started](https://docs.fizen.io/help-center/fizen-qr-pay/getting-started?ref=blog.fizen.io).

## Frequently asked questions

#### What is the most common scam in Hanoi?

Sellers and drivers who start a service or hand you an item before agreeing a price, then charge several times the normal amount. Agree the total in dong first.

#### Is Hanoi's Old Quarter safe for tourists?

For most visitors yes. The reported problems are overcharging, aggressive selling and small tricks around cash and transport.

#### What is the shoe-shine scam in Hanoi?

A man removes your shoe and starts a repair without agreeing a price, then charges many times the normal rate. Decline before anything is touched.

#### How much should a cyclo ride in Hanoi cost?

There is no single price, so agree one total for the whole ride and group before you sit.

#### What should I do if I am overcharged in Hanoi?

Photograph the seller and goods and report to the ward police or the tourist hotline. Recent cases ended in refunds.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/04/ee/04eee3a6-7d95-474c-80a5-48f84338363b/content/images/2026/11/hanoi-scams-2026.png) 

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### Sources

- [VnExpress International, 3 March 2026: Vietnam tourism struggles to prevent overcharging of tourists](https://e.vnexpress.net/news/travel/vietnam-tourism-struggles-to-prevent-overcharging-of-tourists-5046087.html?ref=blog.fizen.io)
- [VnExpress International, 2 November 2018: Nine gang members detained for harassing, cheating foreigners in Hanoi](https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/nine-gang-members-detained-for-harassing-cheating-foreigners-in-hanoi-3832905.html?ref=blog.fizen.io)
- [VietNamNet, 14 September 2015: Foreign tourists disturbed by shoe shiners](https://vietnamnet.vn/en/foreign-tourists-disturbed-by-shoe-shiners-E141315.html?ref=blog.fizen.io)
- [Tuoi Tre News, 13 January 2026: Hanoi street vendor fined after seeking triple price for non la](https://news.tuoitre.vn/hanoi-street-vendor-fined-after-seeking-triple-price-for-non-la-from-foreign-tourist-10326011312592566.htm?ref=blog.fizen.io)
- [Tuoi Tre News, 11 June 2026: Hanoi police investigate viral video of street vendor allegedly fleecing foreign tourist](https://news.tuoitre.vn/hanoi-police-investigate-viral-video-of-street-vendor-allegedly-fleecing-foreign-tourist-103260610182159198.htm?ref=blog.fizen.io)
- [Tuoi Tre News, 23 September 2025: Australian tourist overcharged for cyclo ride in Hanoi's Old Quarter](https://news.tuoitre.vn/australian-tourist-overcharged-for-cyclo-ride-in-hanois-old-quarter-103250923122400102.htm?ref=blog.fizen.io)
- [The Star (ASEAN+), 26 May 2025: Experts issue warnings against online travel scams in Vietnam](https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2025/05/26/as-summer-travel-season-heats-up-in-vietnam-experts-issue-warnings-against-online-scams?ref=blog.fizen.io)
- [Xo Tours, 4 October 2017: scams in north Vietnam (fruit-pole photo)](https://xotours.vn/blog/scams-north-vietnam/?ref=blog.fizen.io)
- [Vietnam Discovery, updated 19 February 2021: Hanoi scams](https://vietnamdiscovery.com/hanoi/top-lists/hanoi-scams/?ref=blog.fizen.io)
- [Fizen Help Center: QR Pay getting started](https://docs.fizen.io/help-center/fizen-qr-pay/getting-started?ref=blog.fizen.io)

Updated 2 November 2026.

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