Hanoi police have arrested two men who took shoes off foreign tourists without their consent, then overcharged for cleaning them.
Police in Hoan Kiem District said they were interviewing Pham Van Chung and Pham Van Quynh, arrested on September 12, on charges of causing public disorder. The men allegedly took advantages of the language barrier to cheat their customers.
Pham Van Chung and Pham Van Quynh at the police station
Chung and Quynh have confessed to forcing their services on tourists then charged them VND100,000 to VND120,000 to clean a pair of shoes.
Recently, a few tourists in Hanoi have fallen foul to overcharging by many local shoe-shiners, especially in the Old Quarter, though most shoe-shine boys are courteous and do not harass tourists because they know they will be banished from an area by local shopkeepers if they cheat.
Some tourists have allegedly had their footwear taken off without permission then were charged VND100,000 to VND900,000 for a shine and minor repairs. The usual fee is about VND25,000 (USD1) to VND50,000 for a good job.
Local shopkeepers are alert to scammers and generally warn foreigners about overpricing because they damage the reputation of a street.