Is Ho Chi Minh City Safe in November 2026?

Riders on motorbikes target tourists walking near Ben Thanh Market, District 1, and Bui Vien Street, snatching bags, phones, and cameras from the shoulder or hand. The bikes move fast and victims are sometimes dragged.

How to avoid: Carry bags on the side away from the road and keep phone in a front pocket. Do not use your phone while walking on busy streets. Wear camera straps diagonally across your body.

On Bui Vien Walking Street, some bars and clubs employ local or Vietnamese women to befriend foreign tourists, encourage rounds of drinks, and then disappear before the bill arrives. The bill presented includes drinks the tourist did not order, inflated prices not matching the menu, and charges for the companions' drinks. Tourists who refuse to pay face intimidation from staff or associates.

How to avoid: Track your own drinks and keep the menu visible throughout the evening. Pay per round rather than running a tab. Leave any bar immediately if the atmosphere changes or the bill differs from what you ordered. Stick to bars reviewed on international platforms with transparent pricing.

Restaurants in the blocks immediately surrounding Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City are notorious for handing tourists inflated bills that include items never ordered, or quantities far above what was consumed. The menus shown outside often have no prices listed. Staff may also present a bill in a leather folder and hover expectantly, making it psychologically difficult for tourists to dispute charges.

How to avoid: Only eat at restaurants that display prices clearly on the menu. Photograph your order or write it down. Check every line of the bill and do not hand over payment until you have verified the total is correct.

Scammers create cloned Facebook pages and websites that impersonate well-known District 1 hotels such as the Majestic Saigon on Dong Khoi Street or the Rex Hotel on Nguyen Hue Boulevard, using stolen photos and near-identical names. They advertise heavily discounted rooms and request a 30–50% deposit transferred to a personal bank account. Once payment is made, the booking confirmation is fake and the hotel has no record of the reservation.

How to avoid: Book exclusively through the hotel's official website or established platforms such as Booking.com or Agoda. Never transfer a deposit to a personal account — legitimate hotels accept payment at check-in or through secure payment gateways. Cross-check the page's creation date and follower history before trusting it.

Unofficial xe om (motorbike taxi) drivers outside Ben Thanh Market and tourist hotels quote foreigners flat rates 3–5x higher than fair. If you try to negotiate or leave, some drivers become aggressive. Drivers sometimes change the agreed price upon arrival.

How to avoid: Use Grab Bike for all motorbike journeys — the fare is calculated automatically and displayed before you accept the ride. If you must use a street xe om, agree firmly on the total price before mounting. Ask your hotel what a fair price is for your specific journey.