As summer travel season heats up in Vietnam, experts issue warnings against online scams

The Star

26-05-2025

HANOI: As Vietnam enters its golden summer travel season, domestic tourism is ramping up with an array of new experiences and enticing promotions.
Alongside the excitement, however, experts are urging travellers to remain vigilant against increasingly sophisticated online scams targeting holidaymakers.
While travel goals and preferences have evolved, Vietnam's summer holiday hotspots remain familiar.
According to Booking.com, which analysed domestic search data from June 1 to July 31, 2025, up to 61 per cent of Vietnamese families are choosing beach destinations, followed by 59 per cent seeking nature experiences, and 45 per cent opting for city explorations.
Top domestic destinations include Danang, Nha Trang, Dalat, Phu Quoc and Vung Tau. For outbound travel, Singapore, Tokyo and Bangkok continue to be the most searched international cities, marking their second consecutive year on the list.
Major travel agencies are rolling out flexible and proactive strategies to meet seasonal demand.
Meanwhile, the travel sector is embracing digital transformation, incorporating smart maps, QR-based tour guides, virtual assistants and AI-personalised itineraries—designed to give tourists more autonomy and a seamless, emotionally rich travel experience.
Provinces and cities are also working to refresh their tourism offerings. Hanoi has introduced night food and art tours; Hanam opened a Sun World water park with evening hours; Hai Phong launched the 'Green Island Symphony' art show and high-end Hoa Phuong Do cruise service; Quang Ninh is hosting the 'Ocean Dance' night performance; Sa Pa continues its Rose Festival; Hue celebrates its Summer Festival, and Danang returns with the International Fireworks Festival.
A survey by the Mastercard Economics Institute ranks tourism among the sectors most vulnerable to scams, with fraud cases rising 18 per cent in summer and 28 per cent in winter of 2024.
The cities where travellers faced the highest risk included Cancun (Mexico), Hanoi, Dhaka (Bangladesh), and Bangkok (Thailand). In contrast, destinations rated safest by tourists were San Francisco (USA), Dublin (Ireland), Seoul (South Korea), Budapest (Hungary) and Edinburgh (Scotland).
According to the report, scams typically involved tour companies and travel agents, with travellers paying for trips that were later altered or cancelled without warning.
Other common traps included rental car fraud, overpriced or rigged taxi services, fake airline or train tickets, hotel booking scams and being ripped off at souvenir shops.
Online fraud schemes have become increasingly complex and widespread. A marketing executive from a leading global resort brand operating six properties in Vietnam revealed that the company had dealt with around 170 fake fanpages impersonating their brand.
Alarmingly, these fraudulent pages continue to emerge even after takedowns. Some are so sophisticated that they even bear verified checkmarks, making them nearly indistinguishable from the official pages and easily deceiving unsuspecting users.
According to the Vietnam Cybersecurity Association, online scams caused an estimated VNĐ18.9 trillion (approximately $760 million) in losses across Vietnam in 2024 alone. A significant portion of this involved scammers creating fake travel brand fanpages, impersonating hotels, airlines and tour operators, often pushing heavily discounted tours, airfares, or hotel packages to lure victims.
The scams typically operate via Facebook, Zalo and sometimes TikTok, where fraudsters ask customers to transfer deposits, then disappear—often by blocking communication or deleting the page. Others use phishing links to steal personal data and OTP codes, enabling unauthorised bank withdrawals.
These schemes exploit users' desire for cheap deals, lack of travel experience and overconfidence. Scammers are increasingly adept at mimicking legitimate marketing tactics.
Experts recommend several ways to differentiate real from fake fanpages, even those with verification checkmarks.
Authentic pages have an accurate brand name, a long post history, polished content and contact information matching the official website. Fake pages are often newly created, contain poor grammar, and lack detailed contact info. They may also have recently changed names or repurposed from unrelated pages.
Search via official websites, not by typing the page name on Facebook. Fake fanpages often pay for ads to appear at the top of search results.
Scammers may run Google Ads to place fake websites at the top of search rankings, increasing the likelihood of users clicking into scam pages.
Travellers are encouraged to stay alert, verify every detail and report suspicious activity to help protect themselves and others during the peak travel season. — Vietnam News/ANN