Nha Trang offers reward for reporting beggars

The city has set up a special police force to catch beggars and a hotline (0583525440) to receive information about begging.

Reports of begging will be automatically recorded and the special force will be responsible for following up on the information provided.

Photo: Nhat Anh

The special force will deliver the rewards to people's homes or they can collect the money at a local police station, said Nguyen Sy Khanh, vice chairman of the city's People’s Committee.

“In just a month, the city has received 46 notifications of begging, and eight of the 13 reports that proved correct have received their money. The rest refused to accept the cash as they considered it their civic responsibility,” he said.

This is an attempt by the city to improve its image as a famous tourist destination in Vietnam, sparing tourists from being disturbed by baggers.

It plans to become a beggar-free city by 2020.

Beggars and homeless people will be sent to social protection centers or supported through state benefits.

Further up the coast, the city of Da Nang has been running a similar scheme since 2015, offering cash rewards of VND200,000 ($9) for those who report beggars via a 24-hour hotline.