Da Nang to crack down on taxi scams targeting foreign tourists

By Hoang Phong March 22, 2023 | 12:15 am PT

Passengers at Da Nang Airport, February 1, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong

Authorities in the central tourist city Da Nang will launch a special team to crack down on unlicensed taxi drivers at its airport to prevent foreign tourists from being overcharged.

The move came after a number of foreign tourists complained that they had been cheated by unregistered taxi drivers at Da Nang International Airport.

The city will strictly deal with taxi scams to protect its tourism image, Le Quang Nam, vice chairman of Da Nang, said as cited by Thanh Nien newspaper.

Last week, a South Korean woman complained to local police she had been cheated by a Grabcar driver.

The driver agreed to carry her from Da Nang to Hoi An for VND378,000. However, he then demanded she pay an additional VND350,000 as a parking fee.

Last month, a taxi driver in Da Nang who charged a South Korean tourist 10 times the normal fare was fined VND11 million ($464) and forced to return the excess amount after the police stepped in.

Da Nang, famous for its long and sandy beaches, received 483,000 foreign tourists last year, up 4.6 times from 2021.