Vietnamese "fall into traps" when traveling China

19 Jul 2011 2038 | World Travel News

Traveling China is now the choice of many Vietnamese people. Most of the Vietnamese travelers who have returned from the trips to China, in the conversations with friends, showed their full admiration towards the natural landscapes, the culture and history of the country. However, they have also warned each other about the traps that one would fall into when traveling the vast country.

Spending money on a quack doctor and getting worse

When asked to talk about the two trips to China, Nguyen Thi Tam at No 6 Dien Bien Phu Street in Hanoi showed a lead necklace and said she purchased the product at a big shopping mall in Kun Ming.

“The members in the travelers’ groups and I were brought to the shopping mall. As I stood for a long time at the jewelry kiosk, a saleswoman told the tour guide that the kiosk applies the policy on offering discounts to Vietnamese travelers,” Tam said.

“I was happy because I could purchase a necklace with discounts. However, after wearing for some months, the necklace has turned to lead,” she added.

Before leading travelers to shopping malls, tour guides said clearly that travelers would not be forced to buy things if they do not want to. However, in fact, they had no other choice than purchasing goods.

Tam went on to say that she and other travelers were brought to a massage shop, where they were explained about the good effects of the traditional herbs available at the shop. The owner of the shop then invited the travelers to soak their feet into the water mixed with herbs.

“I have been suffering from rheumatism for the last many years, and I felt at ease while soaking into the basin of herbs,” Tam said.

After that, the tour guide led the travelers to a doctor, where the doctor gave free examination. He felt the patients’ pulse and said about their diseases. “We all believed in the doctor’s words and purchased a lot of herb medicines,” Tam said.

As instructed by the doctor, Tam decided to buy the herb which can treat her rheumatism. She felt satisfactory with the product – a box with many smaller boxes – which is convenient for patients to use.

“However, the medicine did not bring the desired effects. I compounded the drug as per instructions. But I felt violent pain when I put my feet into the herb water. Now I understood why a small boy, who served at the shop, tried to make a gesture with a hand to say “no”,” Tam said.

“Of course, I have to throw the bought medicine away,” she added.

Do Ngoc Quynh in Truong Dinh ward in Hanoi, also a traveler, said that she was told to be cautious when going to medicine shops. Therefore, she asked to be brought into a big shop, where she bought a box of herb medicine for her mother in law. However, the big shop also sold counterfeit medicine: the mother in law felt unwell when using the medicine.

Chinese shops force travelers to buy goods

Bach Nga, 75, in Hoan Kiem district in Hanoi, also complained that she was cheated in Beijing.

“An old healer examined me and said that I suffered from tachycardia. Then I answered that it was because I had just drunk a glass of beer. And he told me that I suffered from anemia and advised me to buy a box of oriental medicine at 600 yuan,” Nga said.

However, she refused to buy the medicine, saying that she did not have enough money. “The healer angrily told me to borrow money from other travelers to purchase medicine. I told him that I will not buy the product, and he left furiously.

Chinese shops not only try to cheat normal travelers, but journalists as well. A group of journalists, who came to China at the invitation of a Chinese partner, was “under lock and key” at a silk shop in a big city.

Dat Viet reported that no one dared to buy products at the shop, because they feared they would be overcharged. A small blanket was priced at 300 yuan, while the salesman asked 350 yuan for a shirt. Meanwhile, she finally accepted to sell the shirt at 100 yuan only. A traveler successfully bought a dress at 300 yuan only, while the saleswoman initially set up the price at 1200 yuan.