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Police in Ho Chi Minh City are investing an alleged robbery in which three taxi drivers stand accused of seizing luggage from their foreign customers after they refused to pay them more than what was reflected on their meters.
Officers in District 1 said they have received complaints from a Vietnamese woman representing the complainants, whose nationalities have not been revealed.
The woman said the foreigners arrived at Tan Son Nhat International Airport this week and flagged three taxis to take them downtown.
The drivers later asked for much more than the sum reflected on their meters, according to the woman representing the riders. When the customers refused to pay, the drivers fled with their bags, which supposedly contained roughly $1,300 in dollars and Vietnamese dong.
Security officers at the airport have identified one of the drivers, local media reported.
Robberies and taxi scams are among the biggest problems for Ho Chi Minh City's growing tourism industry, which received 5.2 million foreign visitors last year, a 10 percent increase from the previous year.
Municipal officials have announced various plans to attract more tourists, including a floating market and weekend fireworks shows.
Better security might have to be warranted if the city wants to realize its goal of receiving six million visitors in 2017.
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