Police Problems in Saigon

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

Why do they stop you  ?

jazzy851 wrote:

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over. I am so sick of this. I paid 200,000 and went on my way tonight but I don't want to keep doing this.

Why do they stop you  ?

Good question and I'd go for the potential for cash and to get an eyeful of a beautiful lady, but I could be wrong.
How common is it for foreigners to get pulled over for little or no reason?

How common is it for foreigners to get pulled over for little or no reason?

That's what i was thinking... unless they just want to line their pockets each time a blond girl goes by..    but I never saw this given there are blonde girls in Vietnam traveling..  let the op tell us why 

Did you mean the CSGT (Traffic Police) when you ride your motorbike or the local police with green uniform and when you walk?
If the latter, it's strange!

Hi Ardgirl,

Its not common for a blonde girl to ride motorcycle in VN, so yah, i agreed with one of the fellow above. They just want to appreciate your beauty and pocket you since you cant question them, and they cannot question you (they cant speak other language)
There is a way to stop giving them money. But the question is how to stop them from stopping you. Actually there is none for the second problem. Thats why i live oversea. Some of my expat friend in vn they gotta travel using grabike to avoid this. And driving in SG alone, you will draw lots of attention, not police but robbery and thugs.
Another way is wear mask (every VN ladies do that by the way) when you are out riding.

Hope it help

So yes, I ran a red light last night on a deserted street at 10pm after a class. I was tired and my bike has been dying a lot so I just wanted to make it home.

But sometimes its for not using a blinker or something soooo sooo minor.

I think I might buy a full helmet and hide my foreigness.

mokhin68 wrote:

Wanna meet up babe?

Are you kidding?
Dating isn't allowed on the open forums so you can be 100% creepy perv posts are going to attract a ban.

Apologies to the OP, but I have issued a temp ban to dump this guy, probably permabanned later.
I hope this stuff doesn't colour your opinion of the forum.

Wanna meet up babe?

You serious dude?    Seems like you're going to get slapped.. 

Are you kidding?
Dating isn't allowed on the open forums so you can be 100% creepy perv posts are going to attract a ban.

Apologies to the OP, but I have issued a temp ban to dump this guy, probably permabanned later.
I hope this stuff doesn't colour your opinion of the forum.

Not only does the op get stopped on the road, but also on this site by random pervs..
Good thing this site is monitored well. Well done Fred.. 

To the op, i agree with the helpful comments above about covering up with a mask. It will help and its beneficial as you wont inhale all that dust and fumes too.
Hopefully you wont encounter any more stops!

Anyone wanna buy used golf sets which is complete wt bag. Interested to contact me .....

Seems like someone took a swing at you! 
There's an advertising section on this site, so i suggest you use that to advertise your used golf set. Just a hint, don't go posting stuff like you're looking for babes.. i'd stick to golf or goto other sites that helps you look for babes! 

To the OP
Have a look around at the local females driving...they wear a fabfic hat with a small peak at the front,worn underneath the helmet,attached to a full face mask and also a neck and back cover so only the eyes are exposed.A pair of large sunglasses to go with it and your done.My stepdaughter wears one when she goes out on her bike and I would not be able to tell if she is local,a blond foreigner or even ET!!!.She also has long arm gloves.
To the moderator
That plonker mokhin68 should be banned perminantly!!........anyone out there wish to back me up???

That plonker mokhin68 should be banned perminantly!!........anyone out there wish to back me up???

I couldn't agree more - although hes more than a plonker!!    

Fred has kept him out of sight, almost like keeping the little kid in the corner of the class room when misbehaving 

Anyway i gave him some friendly advise to play golf instead of looking for babes on here  its silly buggers like him who spoil such good sites that help others.

Thanks for your support jazzy!

Thanks for your support jazzy!

No worries dude, anything to keep such pests out of the way. 
Anyway, he's probably playing golf or trying to hit on another girl..  either way, he's gone.. 

jazzy851 wrote:

Thanks for your support jazzy!

No worries dude, anything to keep such pests out of the way. 
Anyway, he's probably playing golf or trying to hit on another girl..  either way, he's gone.. 

The moderation team agreed with my assessment and have removed the poster concerned, that including all his posts.
Problem solved this time but there's always another oddball out there so please report any such posts as soon as you see them.

Thanks all.

"Ignorantia juris non excusat" - hope you know this
Normally they don't stop one without any problems on your ride or bike!
During my 8 years ride, CSGT stopped me below 5 times on which mistake was from my side
And only one time they asked 600K as bribe for not turn the indicator on  which I simply handled without paying any dong
Wearing mask and helmet has some benefits including health!

ardgirl wrote:

So yes, I ran a red light last night on a deserted street at 10pm after a class. I was tired and my bike has been dying a lot so I just wanted to make it home.
But sometimes its for not using a blinker or something soooo sooo minor.
I think I might buy a full helmet and hide my foreigness.

Purchase a BUILT helmet with a mirror face shield...tuck the hair in the helmet and wa-la..you are now a mystery...just a thought

Doh, give me a break. 

ardgirl wrote:

I ran a red light last night on a deserted street at 10pm

Don't do that. You endanger people who are obeying the law. BTW would you only get a $10 fine in your home country?

ardgirl wrote:

sometimes its for not using a blinker or something soooo sooo minor.

I guess you are new here. Common for police to set up checkpoints for silly things like blinkers and helmets, it is easier and more profitable for them than chasing speeders and wrong way drivers. Crazy but that's just the way it is. They pull over everyone, not just blondes.

ardgirl wrote:

my bike has been dying a lot

A good reason for police checkpoints, to ticket people with unsafe clunkers.

ardgirl wrote:

Every time the police sees me (blonde foreigner) I get pulled over.

Really? You are a victim for being a foreign blonde female?
I'm not buying it.
If anything, police tend to avoid ticketing foreigners, per many accounts on this forum. Sure some ticketed infractions are ridiculous compared to major violations that are ignored. Welcome to the inscrutable ways of the police in Vietnam.
Sounds like you have been unlucky, but not innocent. Keep 200.000d in your wallet.

ardgirl wrote:

So yes, I ran a red light last night on a deserted street at 10pm after a class. I was tired and my bike has been dying a lot so I just wanted to make it home.

But sometimes its for not using a blinker or something soooo sooo minor.

I think I might buy a full helmet and hide my foreigness.

Ah, blondeism
I missed this post because I was dealing with the perv but all is now clear.

ardgirl wrote:

So yes, I ran a red light last night on a deserted street at 10pm after a class. I was tired and my bike has been dying a lot so I just wanted to make it home.

But sometimes its for not using a blinker or something soooo sooo minor.

I think I might buy a full helmet and hide my foreigness.

- If I were you, I wouldn't have complained about being pulled over for running a red light, deserted street or not. In your home state of Alabama, running a red light would have cost you $100 - $150 ($204.50 in the city of Dothan) and three points on your driver license. Why would you think being fined $8 in Saigon for the same infraction a cause for grief?

- Not wearing helmet is not a minor infraction either. Resolution 32 made it mandatory in Viet Nam for all motorcycle drivers and passengers to wear a helmet on all roads starting Dec 15, 2007. The fine for that violation is 100,000 - 200,000 (up to $200 in your home state.)

- According to Decree 171/2013/NĐ-CP,  the fine for changing direction without signal is 200,000 - 400,000 (also up to $200 in your home state.)

- Under the same decree, the fine for non-compliance with traffic lights is 200,000 - 400,000.

I don't think your hair colour has anything to do with your being pulled over repeatedly, it's your behaviours while operating a motorcycle that should be questioned. Following the law of the country where you choose to live would be my first recommendation, but if you're allergic to that idea, dyeing your hair may help to gain some common sense. Your choice.

" If I were you, I wouldn't have complained about being pulled over for running a red light, deserted street or not. In your home state of Alabama, running a red light would have cost you $100 - $150 ($204.50 in the city of Dothan) and three points on your driver license. Why would you think being fined $8 in Saigon for the same infraction a cause for grief?"

This attitude is exactly why Vietnam has a negative tourism return rate.  Educate yourself on PPP (economics 101)and maybe you will understand why foreigners get upset with attitudes like that.

@ardgirl, I understand your frustration as a blonde western man.  I did as others mentioned, I bought a full face helmet and wear sunglasses during the day, have never been pulled over.  For your minor infractions, which everybody commits, I am sure you will not be pulled over as much if you cover up.  It is unfortunate, but people here assume, incorrectly, all of us live in Malibu and drive Mercedes and have cash pouring out of us like rain during a monsoon. 

vndreamer wrote:

This attitude is exactly why Vietnam has a negative tourism return rate.  Educate yourself on PPP (economics 101)and maybe you will understand why foreigners get upset with attitudes like that.

I don't think my attitude is the issue here.

As the OP committed one infraction after another, then instead of taking responsibility for her actions, she blamed the local police while using her appearance as justification.

I understand that in her mind, her violations were minor and she didn't think she should be punished over them. I brought up the fines in her home state to show that had she done the same things at home, the consequence would have been more drastic than the $8 she had to pay, and she wouldn't be able to say she was being profiled and it was based on her hair colour.

Would it still be a minor thing if, God forbid, her brain became damage in an accident because she was driving without helmet? Would it still be a minor thing when she slammed onto other drivers because she changed directions without using turn signal? Would it still be a minor thing when she ran a red light and hit a family of pedestrians?

We don't have to look like we "live in Malibu and drive Mercedes and have cash pouring out of us like rain during a monsoon" to suffer the consequence of our careless driving. We don't have to be foreigners to be responsible for our actions and to know that we should do everything in our power to prevent harm to others.

Yes, the law in Vietnam is not always enforced, but that's not an excuse to ignore it. IMO, if a person doesn't like the way things are done in a foreign country and doesn't want to follow the rules, then s/he should not continue living in that country. Life is too short to be spent in discontent.

Many expats (not only expats in Vietnam) believe that local rules do not apply to them. Being an expat in 3 continents on and off for many decades, I've seen that sentiment over and over, and still I could never understand the rationale.

Argue with the police in English and read off their badge numbers. Pay your fines and head to the police station to submit your complaint that you ran a red light and being unfairly profiled for your hair colour.

Than come back here and post your experience for us expat to learn.

If the cops are (as is sometimes said) corrupt, they'll see an easy target for pocket money (and get an eyeful of blonde).

If the police are doing their job as they should, they'll see a traffic offence or several and issue fines (and get an eyeful of blonde).

Either way, the cops aren't pulling her just because she's blonde .. but the eyeful of blonde probably makes their day better anyway.

Perhaps the lady OP should be flattered when the cops see her beauty but indicating properly and not running red lights might mean she gets invitations for dinner instead of fines.

I'm dying my hair blonde.

khanh44 wrote:

I'm dying my hair blonde.

I will not be doing so as I don't want hunky policemen asking me out for a date.

actions have consequences, if you are not wearing helmet (what personally I think it is your own business) or run redlights (stopping then and taking them keys is fun activity), You are just begging cops to pull you over and hand your cash to them..

I also don't like them, but if you broke the rules your better be willing forge some cash to them..

Here is an idea, find a face cover that is a vietnamese look alike, problem solved, except running red lights and not complying with the traffic rules. 

So yes, I ran a red light last night on a deserted street at 10pm after a class. I was tired and my bike has been dying a lot so I just wanted to make it home.

But sometimes its for not using a blinker or something soooo sooo minor.

I think I might buy a full helmet and hide my foreigness.

Ok so running a red light will attract attention as well as not using your blinkers and to add some spice to the mix, being blonde... so you've drawn instant attention..
So now we know why you got stopped.   

I can see what you mean when running the red light after 10pm at night on a deserted street too, as you may feel unsafe stopping and being alone at the lights, especially if your bike has been dying a lot. You don't want to be stranded and i can hear you.

A lot have given you good advise here. Please do take it as its a safer bet. On another note, i want to add, if your bike has been dying a lot, please get it seen to. In Vietnam, there's a lot of bikes and so there must be lots of bike service places.

What i recommend you do is, speak to a colleague in your class preferably a Vietnamese who can recommend a reputable mechanic and go with them, if possible. If you go alone, the chances are they will see a foreigner and the price will be higher. If you know of a good Vietnamese friend who can take the bike to be fixed, that's even better. 

Once your bike is fixed and your covering up like a local, you will feel at ease, im sure.
You will also save some bucks too ! 

Good luck 

If you have a proper visa and/or permit, then take the ticket. They're trying to shake you down for 500,000.

I've gotten pulled over and I just show them photos of my passport and driver's license. Then I don't speak vietnamese (only enough to be respectful and courteous (hello, how are you, thank you. Thank you very much). They can't tell you what they want. You have all the cards.

I won't let them Make suggestions. They leave me alone and know not to stop me because I won't play their game. This works in many foreign, especially Latin countries).

Best of luck

My tips:
I have not been pulled over once (except for once in Mui Ne) and I am sooo whiiiiiiiite.

1.  I never drive along CmT8 when I drive home to Q12, I always drive on Hoang sa( or is it Truong sa going away from the city). There area literally no places for cops to lurk. Same thing with Cong Hoa. If I do see a cop, I stick to the lane that is furthest away (btw the car lane, haha) and they just don't bother. The traffic cops are lazy. Make it a large effort to pull you over or drive in places where it is dangerous or hard to pull you over.

Basically: Know which roads to avoid. Usually they stay clear from very big roads or places where there is always huge amounts of traffic, because the locals sometimes just don't stop when signaled. Also, if you see a traffic cop:
- Don't make eye contact (you should be focusing on the road anyways, haha)
- Drive a little bit away from them



Also, you could try and just ask complicated questions in English they won't understand and maybe they will just give up.

I hope I am no regurgitating what other posters have said, but I didn't have the energy to read it all, haha.

they are pulling you over for the money which they put straight into their pocket. The best thing to do is cover up and you will save a lot of money.

they are pulling you over for the money which they put straight into their pocket. The best thing to do is cover up and you will save a lot of money.

Hey Fred, off topic, I know you are the man in Indonesia, enjoy your pictures (I can't ever seem to find the end of them).

What are some other country forums that are entertaining like this one? 

gobot wrote:

Hey Fred, off topic, I know you are the man in Indonesia, enjoy your pictures (I can't ever seem to find the end of them).

I've been really busy to haven't had much chance to get out and about so that thread has been neglected of late. I'm hoping to go for a wander after next week.

I don't know of any other section that has a photo thread but if anyone want to start one in Vietnam I have every confidence the pictures would be popular, perhaps starting with a blonde being pulled by a copper.

I don't know of any other section that has a photo thread but if anyone want to start one in Vietnam I have every confidence the pictures would be popular, perhaps starting with a blonde being pulled by a copper.

To be honest I don't think any local Vietnamese are turned on by the colour of ones hair.

There's so much girls wearing skimpy shorts and breast bearing shirts. The moms have no second thoughts whipping their breast out in public and no one cares.

I showed a video of me riding around in Vietnam on my facebook. All my Western friend cared to point out out the girls in skimpy clothing.

As an ugly guy I like Vietnam in that appearances aren't as important as the person you are.

khanh44 wrote:

There's so much girls wearing skimpy shorts and breast bearing shirts. .

Tell me, how much is a hotel room per night?
I can't think why but I've suddenly found an urge to visit the country.