Headache, exhausted, half-asleep, I landed in Saigon. In a daze, my guard was down and general
belief of the good in people worked against me.
I had just landed in a place that I was so eager to travel to, only to
get jacked by a cabbie as soon as I had arrived.
So what happened?
After a 20 hour flight and eating the disgusting broccoli on the Vietnam Airlines flight, I got off the plane feeling like hell. I never, ever get headaches but my head was
aching and all I wanted to do was get to the hotel. After waiting an hour to get my visa on
arrival at the airport in Saigon, I ended up finding out that my luggage was
lost. After another half hour, I finally
got my luggage! Thank God it wasn’t in
another country.
As soon as I left the airport, a guy dressed like he worked
for a taxi company asked me if I needed a cab.
Not looking around to realize that there was probably an official taxi
line, I went with this guy. He grabbed
my suitcase and dragged it backwards, bumping it around. I tried to laugh it off, and told him to be
careful. It gets worse. Although I had already negotiated the rate
(would be about $8), once he had my suitcase and me in his van, he charged me
more money to exit the airport. While I
knew there was an exit fee for cars, he overcharged me. I called him out on it, but felt
trapped. Sick and tired, I couldn’t jump
out of the van since my suitcase was in the back.
Halfway to my hotel he now tells me he wants more. So what does someone do in this
situation? Suitcase held hostage in the
back, what do you really do? It’s easy to
say that you tell the cabby to fuck off and jump out. I tried to keep positive while my head
pounded and I felt like I was about to faint.
The negativity of this piece of human garbage beside me was
palpable. One of my thoughts was to
stiff him when I got out, and just pay him what he initially agreed upon. Again, I still had the problem of my suitcase
in the back. So we get to my hotel outside
and I pay him….and he returns my bill and angrily wants a different one because
a corner was bent. (As an aside, if
you’re travelling with US Currency, always bring very clean bills with no
damage or bent corners. At least in
Asia, most places won’t accept your bills or exchange them.)
I got my suitcase out of the back from my captor and slammed
his door as hard as I could and called him an asshole. Part of me was hoping his window would
break. With any luck another tourist he
tries to rip off knocks him out.
Thankfully, karma is a bitch and I’m sure in the years since then he’s
paid his price.
In retrospect though, my unwelcome welcome to Vietnam was
one of the best lessons I could ever get.
Why? Because at the end of the
day I was out only about $25 US and in return I had gained a lot of
knowledge. Here are my lessons that I
hope you can implement upon your next trip, especially an overseas trip where
you arrive tired, jet-lagged, and generally disoriented:
1) When exiting
the airport, always look for a taxi stand.
These days there is often a central or even government controlled taxi
stand with pre-determined prices based on zones. Look for it, and if you can’t see one, ask
for it.
2 2) People that randomly approach you, even if
dressed the part, are usually not legit taxi drivers. Whether in the USA or Thailand, I almost never see taxi drivers hunting around
for passengers outside of the airport terminals. If someone approaches you asking you if you
need a ride, just say “no”.
3) Try to keep your belongings as close to you as
possible. In my case, what really hurt
me was being in the front seat of a van, whilst my luggage was way back in the
trunk section, completely inaccessible to me.
This fact alone is what kept me hostage.
While it may not be feasible based on how much luggage you have and the
size of the car you’re in, what I recommend doing is sitting in the back seat
and keeping your luggage in the back seat with you. This way, if there is any hank panky going
on, you’ll be able to leave along with your belongings.
4) Always keep a few bills and local currency on
your when arriving. The rest should be
hidden in another pocket. While I did
not have this problem, I fathom that for others, some greedy taxies seeing a
wallet-full of cash may get greedy and want to cash in if they think you’re
some rich foreigner.
5)
When travelling with the plan to convert your
home currency (Euros, US Dollar, British Pounds, etc.), always carry clean
bills with you. As I have found out
traveling throughout Asia, if there are any blemishes, cuts, tears, or even
bent corners, most places will not exchange your money.
6)
When
getting ripped off, avoid physical confrontation. It is not worth it. Given that you’re in a foreign country you
never want to risk getting into a physical fight and getting injured or killed
for what is an insignificant amount of money.
Yes, you want to adhere to your principals, but what’s the point in
ruining a longer vacation and risking your health or life?
7)
Use your cell phone to take a picture of the
taxi license and any external licensing on the car. While I’m sure filing a complaint is the last
thing you want to do, by taking pix in front of the driver, he may be less
likely to screw you over.
8)
If the car you’re getting into is unmarked, ask
the taxi driver to see his license and proof that he is with another
company. This is not the time to worry
about hurting his feelings. There are
countless taxies at the airport so if he gets upset and doesn’t want you as his
ride, then good riddance – you probably just averted a scam.
9)
Never pay for a “toll”. In my case the cabbie made me pay the toll to
exit the airport (nevermind the fact that he charged me more than the actual
toll was that I saw him pay). That’s the
cabbies problem.
If you’re a traveler, you’ve been there at least once. Whether you’re a Canadian visiting Mexico, or
a South African visiting New York City, or anyone visiting Las Vegas, you’ve
been ripped off by a cabbie. Thankfully
Uber is gradually changing the game around the world so I fully support the
many taxi companies that they are putting out of business. Whatever happens though I hope this article
helps you to avoid a rough landing.
Whatever happens, stay positive and just know that every experience is a
lesson!
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