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| In this photo provided by one DTiNews reader, a woman is trying to convince a tourist to make a donation. |
Tourists and foreigners walking around the Hoan Kiem Lake area may have had the experience of being approached by a female claiming to be student asking for a donation.
This trend has become one that an increasing amount of tourists are complaining about and many are questioning the authenticity. Recently, some Australian tourists contacted DTiNews claiming that this activity is a scam. They claim it works like this; a young and friendly woman approaches saying, "Hello, excuse me, I'm a university student, may I talk with you?" She then says she is collecting money for blind and handicapped children and hands over some paper explaining more details about the supposedly charitable work.
After convincing the person to make a donation, according to some tourists who have contacted DTiNews, she will then pull out a book for you to write your name, country and donation amount. The book; it is said; shows names of people donating amounts of $40USD. It is said the that tourists are then pressured to do the same.
Tourists have complained of being approached numerous times around Hoan Kiem Lake by people making the same claims. The legitimacy of those claims have come into question, the amount of people claiming the same thing, and the repeatedly being stopped on the street seem to be leaving a bad taste in some tourists mouths.
DTiNews is currently investigating the claims.
