My WORST Experience In Vietnam | Scams In Sapa

Vietnam Travel Series EP 06: Sapa
Check out this video where I discuss how the local culture can significantly influence your travel adventure. My journey to Sapa, Vietnam started off with high hopes but quickly turned into a series of unfortunate events. Hopefully, this video can offer valuable insights to prevent you from repeating my mistakes when exploring Sapa, Vietnam.
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Welcome to my channel! My name is Serena, and I am a foodie fashion designer traveling the world. Follow me on my unscripted life experiences on the ground, in the air and on the water.
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[@brucevannguyen]

VIDEO SAVED AND SUBSCRIBED. THANKS FOR SHOWING

[@iamseryen]

Hello Bruce! Thank you for watching, commenting and subscribing! 😊

[@galaxy4741]

Just subscribed and thank you for sharing what u've experienced in Sapa as i'm really planning to go there next year. huhu. i'm scared now since i don't know how to speak vietnamese. are there budget hotels near catcat village? can u hire a motorcycle right away or thru apps?

[@iamseryen]

Hi! Thank you for watching, commenting, and subscribing! Don’t be scared! You don’t need to speak Vietnamese, most people in Sapa will understand English and you can use google translate to communicate if they do not. There are budget hotels near cat cat village, I recommend using Agoda to book hotels. It will give you the address of the hotel and you can check how far it is from things you want to do. Cat Cat village is a little far from the city center, so you will need to get a bike or taxi, and taxi was one of the hardest thing to get in Sapa because they won’t come if you use Grab App. If I were to do Sapa over again, I would find a private driver and make a deal with them to take me around.

[@SeiphersZone]

the difference between grab and taxi is insane. at least you stud your ground. I wish you had a better experience.

[@iamseryen]

Thank you SeiphersZone for your comment. The taxi drivers are also grab drivers and they won’t take the ride if it’s less than 100k VND.

[@MimiDiessel]

I totally understood and sympathised with your experience. I was there last Dec 2023 as well and I got ripped off too. Fully watched and subscribed your channel from Sydney - Australia too.

[@iamseryen]

Hi Mimi! Thank you for your comment and subscribing to my channel! I’m sorry you had a bad experience in Sapa also, I hope the rest of your vietnam trip was better!

[@bluesky338]

We are planning to explore Sapa by the end of this year. But since I watched your video, we might skip it. It is not worth the hassle of dealing with the unfriendly and bad people in Sapa. Let's keep them poor and take your business somewhere else. Thanks for sharing your bad experience!

[@iamseryen]

Hello Bluesky338, thank you for your comment. I made this video not to deter people from going to Sapa, I made it so travelers will know what might happen in that city and I hope the vietnam tourism will do something about it because it is a beautiful town with a lot of culture and history. But another good alternative is Ha Giang if you like outdoor adventures, just make sure you check the weather before going there.

[@kimchitran6690]

Good on you for calling that taxi driver out.

[@iamseryen]

Thank you for saying that! It wasn’t even about the money at that point.

[@humanconnectionflores]

Was in sapa 2 weeks ago.sooo beautiful but the woman's stories are heartbreaking.

[@iamseryen]

Such a shame for such a beautiful city. I hope they will change on how they treat foreigners in Sapa. I’m sure not everyone is like that there, it’s just my luck I met not so nice ones.

[@Chr1s8o8]

Sorry for your experience…it’s not surprising that Vietnam only has a 5% return rate.

[@iamseryen]

Thank you Chr1s8o8, I came out of it with just bad memories.

[@shinyeee1709]

Was in Sapa in January of 2023. Super cold but I should have expected it since it was up north. We were seriously underpacked because of the continuous traveling in warmer SE Asian countries. It snowed at the tip of Fansipan & we froze our butts off. Me and my sister said we scam because of the weather (as a joke) had a lovely time but staying 5 days was too long for me (at least in my opinion). Taxis were a beetch there but I had to pay (negotiating became a hassle) so fortunately the owner of our accommodation was able to get a taxi anytime for a fix rate of $10 usd each way (we were 30 minutes away from the city center & road conditions were bad & we were willing to pay as us negotiating cost double). I get it they need to make their money. I’m Hmong and a good chunk of the population there is Hmong so I was able to get by sparely when meeting a few young locals who were a bit more modernized. But I was very hesitant to speak it to locals because from the experience of others, they can be really pushy pushy by wanting you to buy their things (not that I don’t want to support but once you help one, a rush of others expect the same & I just can’t be stuck buying 40 bracelets and shawls.) A few of the workers at our accommodation were hmong so the owner let them allowed guide/trek around the area. The girls didn’t expect any pay but we still gave them something. On the way to Sapa I booked a shared ride van (was okay but sat in the back) & took a sleeper bus on way back to Hanoi (def more comfortable). Can’t recall the cost but it was like $20 usd per person for the bus. Depending on your budget, the experience can vary. I didn’t book any activities in advance other than hotel & ride I’m to Sapa back to Hanoi.

[@shinyeee1709]

Maybe plan to try Sapa again during a different season but I also too have not visit the south of Vietnam

[@iamseryen]

Hi! Thank you for your comment! I knew Sapa was going to be cold because I was freezing my butt off in Ha Giang. I knew I was going to stay in my guide’s homestay and it will be cold. What I didn’t expect was my tour guide’s lack of preparation for anything I wanted to do. She didn’t even tell me Fasipan was closed during my visit… I think I just had bad luck meeting all the wrong people on this trip. This really shows how the locals can greatly impact your experience in a new city. I would probably give Sapa another try now that I know what to expect, but I definitely would not stay more than two days there.

[@michaelnguyen1597]

You keeping blaming on the tour guide but you probably got a cheap tour guy that why you got scam. Like I said , you are the first 1 to be pickup by a motorcycle with your luggage. If you paid more you will get a normal sedan car. If you can’t handle the trip by yourself than hire a real tour service company and stop blaming someone else.

[@iamseryen]

@@michaelnguyen1597 First of all, this was not the first time I hired a tour guide in Vietnam and I actually paid her more than what she quoted me originally. Second, you were not there with me, just because your experience was good, doesn’t mean it’s like that for everyone no matter what the price is.

[@cindyvalencia9234]

if you plan to visit south vietnam, consider Nha Trang City. I was there alst month and I had an amazing experience

[@iamseryen]

Hi! Thank you so much for the recommendation! I didn’t go to Nha Trang on this trip, but it is on my list for the next one. I flew to Phu Quoc after north vietnam and had a wonderful time 😊

[@sergeitokmakovesq.9153]

I was there for a year. Me and my wife got attacked there by a local guy with a knife who didn't like the idea of a Vietnamese woman with a white Westerner. A month later, down the same street, a passing motorbike driver snatched a wallet right out of my pocket. In all of those cases,neither the bystanders, nor our condo security did anything to help. Pretty much every time I went to the market, vendors tried to shortchange. Many other foreigners had similar experience.

[@iamseryen]

@@sergeitokmakovesq.9153 that is so horrible! So sorry that happened to you. I felt safe throughout my trip in vietnam, the only time I had anything bad or felt weird was in Sapa and it was nothing compared to yours.

[@jown2012]

OMG. I wanted to go to SaPa next year. Now I'm doubting it

[@iamseryen]

Hi! It is a really beautiful place to visit, I would plan what I want to do and just do everything myself without hiring a tour guide. Taxi scams are a huge problem there because they won’t pick you up when you’re using grab if it’s less than 50k vnd.

[@jown2012]

@@iamseryen oh no that's horrible. I could feel your frustrations all throughout the video lol. I hate it and I would definitely feel the same way. Thanks for being so honest though. Sent your video link to my friend so she can watch it as well. ❤️ -New subscriber

[@iamseryen]

@jown2012 thank you!!! ❤ Haha, you’re right, Sapa was a nightmare. I don’t think I’ve ever been so frustrated in my life. It really hits home how truly alone I was.

[@zelli3634]

OMG! I was planning to go to Sapa with my sister 😢

[@iamseryen]

Hi Zelli3634! If Sapa is on your list, I would still go. You now know what to look out for and I hope your trip to Sapa will be better than mine!

[@zelli3634]

@@iamseryen thanks for the reassurance. 💗

[@DKNY-yh9fp]

Share more and let they change their bad habit

[@user-gp9em6xu5l]

Think I will cancel. I HATE being ripped off. Sounds like everyone is on the take.

[@iamseryen]

It was a very weird place.

[@khieusovannara2281]

You can speak Vietnamese very well and still got scams how foreigners who can't speak a word. Thank you for vdo.....

[@iamseryen]

Hi! Thank you for your comment. I think they are so used to unexpected foreigners not arguing with them on prices that they do this to everyone. I think it’s almost a cultural thing, trying to get as much money from tourists as possible.

[@coffee8866]

LoL I guess its about the adventure too! =)

[@iamseryen]

It was quite the adventure! 😂

[@koa-tx]

Ha! Your nightmare experience was a good watch, it's all part of the journey guess...

[@iamseryen]

Haha. It is all part of the experience. It’s a good watch for me also but I just get mad all over again when I watch it. 😂 Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@lovemar7872]

Maybe it's not the best time to go to Sapa during winter season.

[@iamseryen]

Yes, that was my mistake #1, but I thought it would be less crowded then.

[@dianherasari7840]

Is this a limousine ?, maybe for them 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@michaelnguyen1597]

You are corrected. You should do your research before your trip. Also, what you paid is what you get.we went to SAPA in October 2022 and have no issues since we check the weather, got the limousine van with the captain chair, pre-booked our hotel and so on. Why did you wait until you get there to book the hotel?

[@iamseryen]

@michaelnguyen1597 I originally was going to stay with my tour guide for 3D2N, I trusted my guide to come up with the itinerary after I gave her a list of what I wanted to do. Unfortunately that did not happened. I also checked the weather before coming to Sapa and knew it was going to be foggy but the tour guide insisted it will be ok. I trusted the wrong person for this trip and that ruined the whole experience for me.

[@LinhVu-po4ep]

So sad 😢

[@iamseryen]

There were some nice things during my stay, it was only 90% bad 😂

[@Theo_Anh_Qua_My]

Welcome to the north

[@iamseryen]

The rest of the North was very pleasant.

[@mjtreasureheartstoyscollect]

Which Tour agency that scam you? Good to share. I feel you. :(

[@iamseryen]

Hello, I didn’t want to disclose her info since she needs to make a living. I just hope this video brings awareness that things like this can happen to anyone and I hope Sapa will change how they act towards tourists.

[@teglath-phalasariii4025]

Sorry u have a bad memory of sapa (it's by far my favorite area in vietnam), i think before you come you have "false"expectation, first the bus don't shock me, it's local bus pretty comun here, i don't think only tourist bus exist between sapa and ha giang, and if it's exist it will be few (night bus for exemple) and to see good point if you want to see local life it's way to transport. Second the weather in winter is 90% like that, Third. Bac Ha market is about 2h30 by bus minimum from Sapa, from Ta Van 3h and it's finish at 11am. I don't know how far miss comunication was with your guide... But u have to know lot of people in Sapa don't speak Vietnamese (they was totaly discriminate during 50 years by Vietnam Government), they learn english only by talking to tourist and writing is often very very basic. But i understand fully , the guide have to say to you clearly things, if it's private private tour, what you will do for trekking and activities but it can be wonderfull experiance to stay in local familly and learn about hmong culture, btw i'm agree for Taxi, it's a scam, just just ask the price before.

[@iamseryen]

Hi! It’s a shame I had such a bad experience. It is truly a beautiful city. I think most of my tours in vietnam were so good up until Sapa, that you’re right, I did have some false expectations. I will probably visit again in the future now that I know what to expect. Thank you for your comment!

[@teglath-phalasariii4025]

Not a shame, bad bus, bad weather, Bad nights ( yes in North Vietnam ethnic housse expect to listen animals noise and be wake up at 5am thats 100% true), bad surprises about tour guides, bad Taxi driver, i fully understand. Btw happy u enjoy the rest of your trip

[@airacruz4760]

Thank you for sharing your experience. This was a heads for me as im planning to go to Sapa. Maybe better i will just book everything in Klook. Is sept a good month to be there in hanoi and sapa, is it cold also during Sept? Cause i wanna go to places that's cold but pls no rain.. Again thanks for your blog . And informing us for the do's and dont's there. Good thing u enjoy the rest of your trip . 🩷❤️🩷 Pls continue with your journey and i will keep on following your blog🩷 take care❤️

[@iamseryen]

@@airacruz4760thank you for watching and I’m so glad this video was able to help you. I think September will be a terrific time to visit Sapa, I believe the rice terraces will be the most beautiful during that time. I hope you have a wonderful time in Vietnam!

[@galaxy4741]

@@airacruz4760 i suggest you google what month or months best to go to north vietnam. i did research and it says April so i booked my ticket to Hanoi on March 31, 2025.

[@winstontan7683]

I think, you seem to have been cheated.

[@iamseryen]

More than once unfortunately… 😅