Landing in Bangkok, Hanoi, or Bali usually means the same thing: a long flight, a heavy bag, and a curb full of people offering a ride. Most drivers are simply trying to earn a living. A small number have worked out how to turn a tired, unfamiliar visitor into a bigger fare.
The complaints are common enough to show up in data. A study by the British travel insurer AllClear listed Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines among the top global hotspots for taxi scams.[1] The same patterns keep appearing in traveler reports, from the way a fare is set to the way change is handed back.
Refusing the Meter and Quoting a Flat Fare
This is the complaint travelers raise most often, especially in Thailand. Tourists told the Bangkok Post that some drivers only take passengers who agree to a flat fare without the meter, which lets them set the price as they like.[1] A flat fare isn’t always a scam, but it removes your only built in check on the price.
A recent case shows how it plays out. A woman posted on Threads on 15 September about a taxi between Bangkok’s two airports[2] and said she paid 2,000 baht. The Thaiger could not independently verify the fare or reach the driver[2], so treat it as a traveler’s account. Still, other users said 2,000 baht would cover a taxi from Bangkok to Pattaya[2], which gives a sense of the gap people perceive.
Fast Running Meters in Vietnam
Here the meter is on, which is exactly the problem. Travelers and guides describe devices that run far too quickly. One 2025 guide says fake taxis use meters that tick three to five times faster than legitimate ones, so a seven kilometer ride from Hanoi’s Old Quarter to Tay Ho that should cost about five dollars suddenly reads twenty five.[3]
The trouble concentrates at airports. Airport transfers and city taxis remain the most common rip off, especially at Noi Bai in Hanoi and Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City.[3] Authorities are aware of it: the Hanoi Inspectorate of Transport reportedly conducts random spot checks on airport taxis to penalize operators running rigged meters.[4]
Lookalike Taxis Borrowing a Trusted Name
Some scams begin before you even open the door. Scammers paint cars in the colors of a reputable company and hope you won’t look closely. In Vietnam, Vinasun and Mai Linh are the two names guides consistently recommend, and cars with near identical paint jobs and logos should be treated with suspicion.[3] One guide adds that Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City is a notorious hub for fake taxis.[5]
Bali has its own version. Scammers exploit the Blue Bird name with cars of a similar light blue and a lookalike logo, and these fake taxis almost always refuse the meter and quote a steep fixed price.[6] A genuine one, according to one local guide, has Blue Bird Group printed on the side, a vehicle number on the dash, and a driver in uniform.[6]
The Long Way Round
Detours are harder to prove than a rigged meter, which is partly why they persist. The meter can be perfectly honest while the route is not. Meter refusal, price gouging, and deceptive routing continue to tarnish the reputation of Thailand’s taxi industry[7], according to a 2025 Pattaya Mail report on traveler backlash.
One widely shared account involves Bali. A first time visitor expected a thirty minute airport to Ubud ride at about four dollars, but the driver took backroads on a ninety minute route that cost close to twenty dollars.[8] The practical fix is simple: follow the route on Google Maps or another navigation app during the ride.[9]
The Meter That Suddenly Breaks
This one is common enough in Bali that guides call it a classic. A driver agrees to use the meter, then a few minutes into the trip claims it is broken and demands a high fixed price.[6] By then you’re in traffic, in the dark, or far from where you started, which is what makes the tactic work.
It clusters around busy spots. One 2026 guide says it is especially common in high traffic areas like Kuta, Legian, and the airport.[10] Inflated quotes can run to roughly triple what a metered ride or pre booked transfer would cost.[10] Ride hailing apps like Grab or Gojek show prices upfront, with no negotiating and a tracked ride[11], though they are banned from picking up in some areas, including the ports at Sanur and Padangbai and certain streets in Canggu, Ubud, Uluwatu, and Seminyak.[11]
Change, Banknotes, and Surprise Fees
The final scam happens at the end of the ride, when you’re paying. In Vietnam, the trick relies on notes that look alike. The driver palms the note you handed over, holds up a smaller 50,000 dong bill, and insists you underpaid, and the two are both bluish polymer notes.[3] A local guide notes that a 500,000 dong note can look similar to a 50,000 note to an untrained eye.[12]
Change can go wrong too. Some visitors warn of taxi drivers switching larger notes for counterfeit ones when giving change.[8] A Vietnam airport taxi scam can also involve fake toll fees[13], while the genuine airport toll is a small 10,000 dong charge usually added to the final fare.[13] Travelers are advised to say the amount out loud as they hand it over and keep large bills separate from small ones[3], and to carry small cash because card machines in official taxis are sometimes reported as broken.[13]
