I wanted to share a close call my family and I just had in Da Nang (near Gujarat Indian Restaurant in Ngũ Hành Sơn). If you’re traveling in Vietnam with family, please watch out for this specific group.
We were approached by a man and a woman who were definitely not locals. The man said he was from Iran and spoke really good Hindi, which immediately made us stop and listen. The girl with him was white/European-looking. Because they looked like a normal international couple on vacation, we didn't feel any "stranger danger" at first.
They started by asking for the Gujarat Pure veg restaurant address. Once we helped, the man switched to: "What is 100 USD worth in INR?" He showed us a Sri Lankan note and pretended to be confused, asking if it was Indian currency.
He was incredibly insistent. Even though we told him we didn't have any INR on us, he kept pushing us to check our wallets, saying in Hindi: "Still check karo wallet mei ki hota hai ki nahi" (Still check if you have it in wallet or not).
The Distraction:
While the man was pressuring my dad to open his wallet, the girl moved in on my mom and me. She actually touched me and asked my mom, "Your son?" to start a side conversation. This was clearly a coordinated move—she was there to distract us so that all eyes weren't on the man’s hands while he tried to get my dad to pull out his cash.
The "Sleight of Hand" Trap:
This is a textbook Note Inspection Scam. They want you to pull out your wallet so they can see where you keep your money. If you open your wallet or hand them a bill, they are experts at folding high-value notes into their palm while "counting" or "inspecting" them, then handing the wallet/stack back before you notice anything is missing.
How we handled it:
We did not open our wallets. I stayed on my phone, quickly looked up the current exchange rate, and just told him the number. We kept insisting we didn't have the physical notes. When they realized we weren't going to show them any cash, they gave up and we walked away.
Red Flags to watch for:
Pressure to "Check": If a stranger is telling you to open your wallet or "check" for a specific bill, STOP. It’s a setup.
Native Language Hook: Using Hindi to build instant trust with Indian tourists.
The "Tourist Couple" look: Using a Western partner to appear harmless.
Physical Touch: Using a woman to distract family members while the man targets the person with the money.
This scam doesn't only happend in da nang. But also in Thailand and other parts of vietnam. Please guys be careful with it. Thank you and be safe.