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Taxi charges foreigners 100 times more than meter fee in Vietnam

By Xuan Ngoc September 16, 2017 | 10:22 am GMT+7


The taxi driver allegedly scared them into paying an exorbitant sum for a less than $3 trip.

Police in the central resort town Nha Trang summoned a taxi driver on Friday after a group of Chinese tourists accused him of overcharging.

Le Trong Quat, 40, drove the visitors to their hotel earlier this week.

As they arrived after 6 kilometers, his meter read VND62,000 ($2.73).

But he took out his phone and type a seven-digit number, the tourists said.

They said they had argued but the driver threatened them, and they had to pay him VND6 million ($264).

Police said Quat is under criminal probe for extortion of property.

Overcharing incidents like this one happen once in a while in Vietnam, earning the industry a bad name.

Last month, a taxi driver in Da Nang was fined after charging a South Korean tourist $30 for a $2 journey.