Robbery stalking travelers

VietNamNet Bridge – At the meeting with HCM City’s authorities last week, Deputy Chair of Amcham Christopher C.Twomey advised the local authorities to take necessary measures to prevent robbery, or Vietnam will lose a reputation as a safe destination.

Robbers lurking everywhere 

According to the HCM City Police, traveler property robbery cases have been taking place in different situations. On March 3, on the cross road of Pham Ngu Lao – Nguyen Thi Nghia streets in district 1 in HCM City, Anna Julia Urban, a German traveler, was walking on streets when two men, riding a motorbike, pressed against her and snatcher her bag. Luckily, the policemen who were on the duties, discovered the robbery, captured the robbers and gave the property back to the woman.

Most recently, at the road junction of Dong Khoi – Mac Thi Buoi in District 1 of HCM City, Kanda Michiyo, a Japanese traveler was walking when two young men on a motorbike tried to snatch her bag. They unsuccessfully snatched the bag, but the woman fell into the road and was heavily injured. 

Many travelers were robbed, even when they were sitting at shops or restaurants. On March 4, Toru Yamada, a Japanese traveler, was sitting at an Internet shop at No 38 Ton That Tung, when his bag with many valuable properties inside was snatched.

On February 10, when Shuichi Kitahara, also a Japanese traveler, was eating pho at a restaurant, a man came closer, snatched and ran. Local residents chased the robber and got back the bag, but the perpetrator escaped. 

One month ago, Liu Rui Zeng and Yuan Mei Xia, Chinese travelers also had their handbag snatched when they were walking on Tran Quy Road in District 11. 

The areas, where most of travelers had their properties robbed, are Ben Thanh market, the area around the War Remnants Museum or in front of the city’s Post Office. 

Le Hoai Nhon, a worker of the traveler protection team, called “the green shirt team”, related that several days ago, he and his colleagues chased and caught a robber, who snatched a gold bracelet. The victim, a Thai traveler, said that when she came to HCM City for the first time, she also lost the mobile phone in a robbery case. 

Nguyen Minh Tuan, another member of the “green shirt team”, said that robbery cases have made Japanese travelers become more vigilant. “They do not want to see anyone come close to them. I once tried to help them find ways, but they refused my help,” he said.

“I always advise travelers not to ware gold bracelets,” he said. “One time, I advised a woman to do that, but she did not listen to my advice, and she witnessed the bracelet robbed just some minutes later”.

According to “green shirts”, robbers regularly snatch properties of travelers when they try to cross the roads and they have to pay attention to avoid traffic accidents.

Robbery spoiling national image

Pham Xuan Anh, Director of a travel firm, specializing in serving cruise travelers, said that more robbery cases have happened recently. Especially, robberies taking place right at the center of HCM City, where there are many people, because robbers think that travelers lack vigilance there.

Therefore, tour guides always have to advise travelers to be careful when visiting excursion places. They should walk on the pavement instead of streets, keep cameras tightly and leave bracelets and valuable properties at hotels.

Many travelers have complained about the robbery with foreign travel firms, the partner companies of Vietnamese travel firms. They have also written on tourism forums about their feelings after the trips. “Vietnam is a wonderful destination. However, in Vietnam, I was, for the first time, robbed near Rex Hotel. Therefore, I do not dare to bring valuable properties with me,” a foreigner wrote on Tripadvisor.