Being Safe in HCMC

Vietnam is a safe country. It is safe by means that you will probably not get mugged or attacked.

But there are many thieves in Ho Chi Minh City. And any opportunity for someone to steal something will happen.

In the past 10 months, these are the stories I heard about people having things stolen.
1. Cell phone grabbed out of the hand as a person is on a motor scooter.
2. Motor scooter stolen.
3. Thieves entering a house looking for laptop and motor scooters.
4. Purse stolen off a tourist with her passport in it.
5. Luggage searched by cleaning ladies and cash stolen.
6. A fake accident and motor scooter stolen.
7. Plants and planters stolen from in front of the house.
8. Necklace ripped off the neck.
9. A thief entering the same house 3 nights in a row.
10. Pickpockets in the markets.

How do you minimize these types of thefts.
1. Don't lightly handle your phone, put it securely in your pocket or belt case.
2. Put your scooter in a proper parking area with security.
3. Keep your house locked even when you are in it.
4. Put the strap in a cross shoulder, never just sling. You will have a grab and dash thief take it.
5. Don't leave valuables in your room. Put it in a safety deposit box, or if you are visiting me, I can put in a box and secure it with a lock inside my locked house.
6. Don't ride your bike too late at night.
7. Get really big plants and heavy planters.
8. Don't wear your very expensive jewellery when out on the streets (the wedding will be fine, no one will attack at the wedding hall, and you will go directly in a taxi).
9. Lock your door, even if you think they have taken enough. replace the locks, they may have broken them.
10. Don't carry all your cash in your pocket. Keep your hands near your pockets or put them in a pocket with buttons.

Other hints:

Don't carry your passport with you. Make color copies or your visa and passport with you. By VN law the hotel owner has to keep your passport and make a document with the police to show that you are legally residing at the hotel.

At the reception hall there are pickpockets and there will be crowds as you leave. Don't carry cash or a purse. You don't need to pay for anything (maybe a taxi ride back to the hotel).

Less obvious versions of theft:

Price gouging and counterfeit items are common in Southeast Asia. If a bad is too good to be true, it probably is. There are high quality counterfeits. There are shops that take factory seconds. It will be much more obvious and we know the shops.

You will eventually go to Ben Thanh Market. It is fun, but you will get grabby merchants that will overprice everything. They will grab you by the arm and try to guide you to the stall to buy tourist junk. If you see something take a picture and we can get it later. They would rather not sell at all then get a reputation for selling normal prices to a foreigner. You can haggle, but they will never go to a reasonable price. Same will happen at Saigon Square.

You should do a trip, take pictures and talk about sizes that fit you. We can then arrange some people to shop for you the next night. It is not the thrill of shopping, but you will get the best prices. At the cost of an extra shirt or bag for the shopper.

Counterfeiting will not only happen in the street markets, but also at the big shopping plazas. They will sell counterfeits all the time at the prices of the actual item (buyer beware).

I hope this does not scare you, you can get great things here, get hand crafted instead of name brands. And be smart, you will come out with a great experience.