Exactly
It's definitely not tourist specific.
Customs officials have a field day with the locals returning back to Vietnam often pulling them aside and trying to get something out of them in the way of cash payments to be allowed through customs.
My Vietnamese co worker who lives in Australia was targeted just a few months ago. After much arguing her 3M VND cash customs duty was eventually bargained down to 1M, cash in the passport then handed to the official.

Well, on the bright side lots of tourists will read this thread and learn the ropes.
Only 5% of travelers return to Viet Nam, as opposed to 50% for Thailand, according to what I have read.

To be fair, it's not unknown for airlines to deny boarding if there's a small typo in your name on the ticket you bought online. Or for money to be lost when sent to a bank account number that's off by one digit. Etc.

The real message is always check and check and recheck when doing business online. It's a basic rule of the internet.

What's your point?

Thailand is the kingdom of scams.

However, it also allows more travelers in visa-free, so it has that going for it. Plus, Bangkok's two airports can get you nonstops to many more places than Vietnam.

Personally, I prefer Vietnam to Thailand ... but Bangkok has the advantage of having the world visit. To me, that means better stocked supermarkets and good medical facilities.

My point is that Thailand is a lot less "scammy" than Viet Nam. I have never been scammed here in over 12 months, with the possible
exception of a Grab taxi double-billing that is being disputed. The 5% return rate for Viet Nam says it all.

Another scam I have seen in Jordan was the immigration clerk taking the visa cash and then pretending being distracted in a conversation with a colleague, and keep asking me for the cash again. He insisted that I did not give him the cash, but he eventually relented. He just tried me for 5 times in the off chance I would give him another 80 bucks.

Wrong.

I've been to Vietnam five times and plan to go again. I was in Thailand twice and don't plan to travel there again.

One thing is that I did my homework before going to both places - I spent plenty of time researching, and reading forums, here, on TripAdvisor, and other places. I was aware that it was my responsibility that all the documentation matches my travel documents and made triple checking that all the passport numbers and travel dates were correct. I was well aware of handbag and phone grabbing practices in Saigon from passing scooters as well as grabbing and running with iPhones foreign tourists leave at their tables in cafes and restaurants (again - Saigon). And I made sure to communicate all this to my travel companions - male and female. So everyone was well aware and nothing has happened during all of the travels.

While I was as aware of jetskis and other tourist scams in Thailand, these extended not only ordinary tourist traps in Phuket but 4* hotels as well. At the checkout, they wanted to charge $20 for a 'missing' tea spoon and a 'broken' tissue box. Fortunately specifically for cases like this, I carry a prepaid card with zero balance.

The above case, the taxi mafia in Phuket, and the fact that I witnessed three traffic accidents on scooters/motorcycles by people under the influence (one of them fatal) in three days I was there - I have no desire ever to go back to Thailand.

I think checking visas carefully to make sure they are in order is basic, although in this case even with the typo/extra digit it was clear that it was the same person.

I am surprised at the charge for the missing spoon and broken tissue box. I really do not know how many times I have been to Thailand. Certainly over a 100 times and while I have seen scams there never have I ever been charged for anything like this.
The Taxi mafia in Phuket is well known and in all countries the taxis over charge. Certainly in Asia probably apart from Singapore. But never in `a 4 star hotel have I
heard of this.

Totally agree. And this will eliminate any scam risk by default.

invisble,

"Fortunately specifically for cases like this, I carry a prepaid card with zero balance."

So the hotel accepts the card despite there being nothing on account? Shouldn't it be declined when they run it through?

You must be a joy of a travelling companion

How on earth does the empty cash card work? Lord knows what sort of hotel you selected in Phuket, but surely if you were presented with ridiculous charges it would be better simply to refuse to pay them, rather than risk offering to settle through a financial instrument you know to be exhausted.


But I'm with you 100% on the taxi mafia !!

Phuket is not typical Thailand ! The taxi mafia is well known, but suggest you visit Hua Hin, Chiang Tai, Chiang Rai for real Thailand that is safe and full of kind friendly people. There are bad people in every country of course, but my experience of close to 100 visits to Thailand is that they have less than most , and most of those are in Phuket !

I refuse to take cabs, tuk-tuks, or motorcycles in in Thailand.
It's not worth listening to their bs along the way. Plus, there are usually alternatives (rare benefits of a touristy country that also has invested in some public infrastructure).

the Tuk Tuks and the cabs are a scam a lot of times but the Grab is fairly straightforward. So is their motorcycle. I take the motorcycle a lot and never get scammed because I know what to pay them beforehand.