How to book a hotel without being scammed ?

If you didnt pay yet its not a scam. Hotels in Vietnam always prioritize customers that pay first over these 3rd party booking sites.

The hotel is in Vũng Tàu?

Are you trying to book on the weekend?

Demand is usually super high Friday to Sunday and on holidays in Vũng Tàu.

You may need to try some of the smaller hotels located away from the beach or arrive Sunday night or afterwards. In contrast, the weekdays are usually pretty quiet.

I booked a hotel thru agoda but owner canceled in last minutes... - @sfsaigon

Do not select "Book without credit card". All other options require your submitting your credit card details (to Agoda, not the hotel). This way your booking is guaranteed by Agoda.

(screen snip, Vung Tau,, Agoda)

I booked a hotel thru agoda but owner canceled in last minutes... - @sfsaigon
Do not select "Book without credit card". All other options require your submitting your credit card details (to Agoda, not the hotel). This way your booking is guaranteed by Agoda.

(screen snip, Vung Tau,, Agoda)
- @Aidan in HCMC

All answers so far are correct.

This one is the most correct 😜

In the past the only area where I have had this problem was in Vung Tau.

And it seems like it is concentrated around the large complex know of SONG, with various names attached.

You book a room and they will contact you with a new price. Typically when you book a room and the hotel ask you to contact them outside the platform it is the red flag.

I paid in advance in one case, thinking that would lock it in but the hotel did cancel and I even got a call from AGODA (which surprised me) they offered to find another or refund.  I took the refund + "Agoda cash" to apply towards a future Booking. (I think was an actual overbook and not a price-change scam)

I figured out you can kinda know who is going to do it by

-If it is a new account with not much history.

-If they DONT give the option to pay when booking.

-The deal looks too good.

-Their phone number might not work.

In a legal sense, if you only reserved and they never took money there is no crime.

Again the SONG hotels in Vung Tau is the place where this is rampant. Its huge complex with middle-man offices. To even know who to go and confront in person would be difficult.

The Song complex is nice, the rooms are like mini apartments, just dont waste time on the ones with red flags I noted above.

I jump between Agoda and Booking.com, It seems with Booking, there is no effective means to lodge a complaint against a scammer. Thats why I was surprised when Agoda called me without me contacting them.

If the place doesn't accept payment on the booking platform, it's suspect. Don't try to book it. (Doesn't mean it's always a scam, but it's a red flag.)

Also:

1. Look at the reviews. Ideally, the place should have at least a few reviews from international travelers. If you see no reviews, or just a couple of reviews by locals, then don't book it.
2. Dig deeper. Look at the property on Google Maps, read the reviews there.
3. If the deal seems to good to be true, it is a scam.

I've had good luck with Agoda for short-term stays, but all the platforms have their fair share of scammers, especially when it comes to budget-conscious travelers.