Just got hit with a scam in Hue, Vietnam and want to warn other travelers.
Edit: I know it was silly in hindsight, please don’t tell me I’m an idiot in the comments, I’m not looking for sympathy, just sharing my story!
I was walking near my hostel looking for food when an elderly Vietnamese man (60s-70s, friendly, well-spoken) stopped me. We started chatting. He was curious about where I was from (USA), mentioned he had family in Denver and San Francisco who were in Hanoi, and said he was traveling from Saigon to Hanoi soon to visit them.
He invited me to eat with him. We went to a small, local place on his motorbike. We had a genuine conversation, he said he was a retired author, writing a book about his travels, and would mention meeting me. The food was cheap (spring rolls). He insisted on paying. When I kept offering to, he pivoted.
After he paid, he said: "How about you buy my niece a small meal? She's in the hospital." I assumed a cheap pho or banh mi. I agreed.
He drove us to a pharmacy.
He picked out a large tub of protein powder (850k VND). I refused. He grabbed a smaller one (430k VND). The cashier rang it up. He and the cashier looked at me. Other customers stared. I felt pressured. I paid. I knew I had walked into a scam but for some reason I didn’t say no.
He drove me back to my hostel, calling me "cousin," saying how happy he was to meet me, and that I was young and my parents pay for me anyway (which they don’t)
Use your judgment. This is a well-rehearsed, operation.
Safe travels everyone! Cheap lesson to learn and it could’ve gone way worse, thankfully God was watching over me!
P.S.
I have been backpacking for nearly 3 months and have dodged loads of scams and hustles nearly everyday. This one got me because of how slow it was. I’ve had my guard up for months and thought maybe I could give the guy the benefit of the doubt to have a wholesome interaction. While I could have said no in the moment, $16~ isn’t a huge deal for me and I didn’t want to escalate the situation, I just wanted to leave. All in all, this scam took place over 2 hours of conversation. We had an amazing chat and we both shared stories of our lives and family and such, which is why it hurt more. I don’t share this for sympathy, I am sharing it as a warning for anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation. I still have so much love for this country and I think all in all, $16~ is a cheap price to pay for a valuable lesson.