Tan Son Nhat Customs Scam - Again..

A GoPro is about your only hope.

The passport needs to be taken to embassy of the relevant country here in Hcmc.
Explain what has taken place and ask for the embassy to make a complaint to Vietnamese Immigration....after all it is an official document of your friends country which has been defaced by an official of another country.
Take down the details of the date,names and positions of the people you speak to at the embassy and ask to be kept informed by mail.If your friend does not get a satisfactory answer take it up with the government on return to his/ her country.
If everyone who has been scammed in this way took the same action I,m sure eventually the toads who are  doing would get the message.

There is a number you can call at immigration at the airport for any "shady" dealings that happen.  988315858 & 925267777. Don't know how current they are but media here advised travellers to use them  and complain while still at the airport.   

Also email your story to the media here and your home Country.
Put it on Tripadvisor
Email complaint to vietnam tourism.   ( I've done that before, and actually got an opology over another tenancy matter)
Email the vietnam embassy in your own country.
Email Vietnam immigration and file a complaint as Gareth has stated.

Yogi might do that too.....nothing like making a noise.

These people don't like being publicly embarrassed.

Nothing will change till people start making this a public issue. These government officials operate how they want, when caught are given another cushy job somewhere else.

Take picture of him, record video using your phone and ask the embassy to complain the Immigrant.
Media and social media in viet name are going to be very interested if a clear video can be provided.

vdtuan wrote:

Take picture of him, record video using your phone and ask the embassy to complain the Immigrant.
Media and social media in viet name are going to be very interested if a clear video can be provided.

Not sure if you are allowed to video them.

Nope....there's signs with Cameras crossed out on them in that area.
Same at the security checkpoint going in.   
No happy snaps😆

But....everyone has a phone in their hand these days. They're virtually surgically attached.   It would hardly be noticed if you had your phone in your hand while resting on the counter....and video rolling.

Speaking of phones....Yogi will digress.
A few weeks back Yogi walked into a cafe and ordered a cup of coffee and just sat there and enjoyed drinking it....as you do in a cafe. BUT?..with NO phone, tablet, computer , game boy, Nintendo, etcetera.
It wasn't long before the staff became curious as to what I was doing there. The security guy stopped picking his nose and repositioned himself to observe my odd behaviour.    Here's a guy just sitting there drinking a cup of coffee and NOT in a trance staring at a device. 

Highly unusual behaviour.   In the end I had two staff sitting either side of me listening to my life story.  They thought I was lost, sad, lonely, maybe planning to rob the place..who knows. 

I'll  carry a laptop in future to allay suspicion of Yogi.

Yogi007 wrote:

Nope....there's signs with Cameras crossed out on them in that area.
Same at the security checkpoint going in.   
No happy snaps😆

But....everyone has a phone in their hand these days. They're virtually surgically attached.   It would hardly be noticed if you had your phone in your hand while resting on the counter....and video rolling.

Speaking of phones....Yogi will digress.
A few weeks back Yogi walked into a cafe and ordered a cup of coffee and just sat there and enjoyed drinking it....as you do in a cafe. BUT?..with NO phone, tablet, computer , game boy, Nintendo, etcetera.
It wasn't long before the staff became curious as to what I was doing there. The security guy stopped picking his nose and repositioned himself to observe my odd behaviour.    Here's a guy just sitting there drinking a cup of coffee and NOT in a trance staring at a device. 

Highly unusual behaviour.   In the end I had two staff sitting either side of me listening to my life story.  They thought I was lost, sad, lonely, maybe planning to rob the place..who knows. 

I'll  carry a laptop in future to allay suspicion of Yogi.

So thats how you meet chicks, good ploy.

Not that lucky,  one of them was the Nose picker.

I wasn't quick enough to avoid them.   Usually when I don't want to be bothered I just babble incoherently & say Yogi's from Kazakhstan.   They soon piss off if they can't engage a conversation.🤓

Maybe start wearing just white y-fronts with the brown skidmarks, that will keep them away.

Actually Yogi goes Commando.   
Fully fledged member of the Free ball society.

Keep em swingin in the breeze.

(What was this topic again)😳

le sigh

So sorry to know this, the best way is to report the incident to the Embassy and ask them to lodge official complaint about this to VN Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It would have been much better if your friend could wholly prescribe the incident,  remember the full name, face characteristics or body type/appearance of 'Mr. Officer' to give weight to the complaint. Such a dirty thing really pulls back Vietnam's development.

Each visa stamp should have the sign of the Officer?

hello karl. as my friend is from an ASEAN country, there was no need for a visa. residents of ASEAN countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam etc. can travel to these countries for up to a month without any need for a visa.

Your friend would have received an entry stamp, on that stamp it has the officers immigration number.

singuyen tranpham wrote:

So sorry to know this, the best way is to report the incident to the Embassy and ask them to lodge official complaint about this to VN Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It would have been much better if your friend could wholly prescribe the incident,  remember the full name, face characteristics or body type/appearance of 'Mr. Officer' to give weight to the complaint. Such a dirty thing really pulls back Vietnam's development.

Thank you, i'll pass this on to my friend. The officer defaced the passport and the officer who physically took the bribe of 1 000 000 VND were 2 different guys, so they must have been working a pre-meditated scam.

That is true. Although I'm just an expat and not a local, I'd very much like to show my guests a good time in Vietnam. It is very unfortunate that such awful and nasty practices are the first thing that greets visitors.

colinoscapee wrote:

Your friend would have received an entry stamp, on that stamp it has the officers immigration number.

cheers colin, thank you.