Clarissa (R) and her motorbike taxi driver pose for photos on Hanoi Train Street. Photo courtesy of Clarissa
An American tourist has accused a motorbike taxi driver in Hanoi of charging her VND1 million (US$38) for a seven-kilometer trip, 14 times the usual fare, and behaving inappropriately.
Clarissa left the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology at around 5 p.m. on Feb. 24 and sought to book a ride-hailing motorbike to a restaurant in the Hoan Kiem area, a trip that normally costs around VND70,000.
But a om car (motorbike taxi) driver approached her and offered a ride before she could book.
She did not negotiate the fare since she had had positive experiences with traditional motorbike taxis during her two-week stay in the city, she said.
Despite being told the destination, he made multiple unscheduled stops during the trip, which she at first attributed to hospitality.
He first took her to the so-called Train Street, where he asked a woman to photograph them together.
While taking photos, the driver even tried to kiss her, the tourist said.
She was later taken to a memorial site and ultimately had to rely on Google Maps to guide the driver back to her intended destination.
As they approached the restaurant on Trang Tien Street she wanted to go to, the driver said the fare was VND500,000. But on arriving at the place and noticing she still had cash in her wallet, he raised the price to VND1 million.
Clarissa agreed to pay to avoid trouble.
That evening she and a friend reported the incident to the police.
On the morning of Feb. 25 local authorities said they had received the complaint and were working to verify the details and trying to identify the driver involved.
Her friend said though the financial loss was small they decided to get the cops on board so that other foreign visitors are spared such experiences.
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