Punish street vendors who 'rip off' foreign tourists at Hoan Kiem Lake

On the evening of March 24, a leader of the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem District ( Hanoi ) said that the authorities had administratively fined a street vendor for "overcharging" at Hoan Kiem Lake.

This person is D.TH (from Kien Xuong district, Thai Binh , currently residing in Phuc Tan ward, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi).

At around 5:00 p.m. the same day, when working with the Ly Thai To Ward Police, Ms. H. admitted to having behaved inappropriately when selling 4 donuts for 50,000 VND to 2 foreign guests. At the same time, she expressed regret and apologized for creating a bad image of Hanoi for tourists.

The authorities determined that Ms. H. had violated the regulations on street vending. The fine for this act is 150,000 VND. At the same time, Ms. H. had to sign a commitment not to repeat the offense.

Previously, a man named DT and his friend were walking around Hoan Kiem Lake when they witnessed a street vendor asking 2 tourists 50,000 VND for a bag of 4 donuts.

"The Western tourist did not agree and offered to lower the price to 25,000 VND, but the woman did not agree. After the tourist gave 100,000 VND, the street vendor grumbled, shoved the remaining 50,000 VND into their hands and left," said Mr. T.

Mr. T. went to the street vendor, but she denied "ripping off" customers. "After that, I informed the security team at Hoan Kiem Lake," he added.

Hoan Kiem Lake is the center of Hanoi, attracting a large number of tourists to visit every day. Around here are many historical and cultural relics of the capital. However, the situation of street vendors that has existed for many years has not been thoroughly managed, leading to an unsightly image and the behavior of "ripping off" tourists still occurs.