Grab might be a fabulous app, but when it comes to fake Grab drivers in Vietnam, well, they are really giving the company a bad name. Don’t know what I am talking about? Well, go to Vietnam and you will sure find out.
Essentially, it involves car drivers as well as bike riders either pretending that they work for Grab or, worse, offering a whole heap of non-driving services.
What the Grab Vietnam?
Grab is Southeast Asia’s answer to Uber (without the toxicity), and in Vietnam, it’s pretty much the king of all things transport. From cars and motorbikes to food delivery, the Grab app has made getting around cities like Hanoi, Saigon, and Da Nang a breeze.
You book your ride, track your driver, pay through the app, and theoretically avoid scams and dodgy dealings. In a country where traditional taxi services are notorious for shady practices, Grab’s transparency and ease of use have made it incredibly popular with both locals and tourists. But as with all good things, there’s always someone ready to ruin it.
Fake Grab Drivers in Vietnam – The Ploy
OK, so while not all of them might be fake, the overall ploy is to stand outside of an airport, hotel, or wherever tourists congregate and pretty much shout “Grab” at you. This can be done while wearing a Grab jacket, but is usually portrayed by them having a picture of the Grab app or the app open (but not to their account).
They then tell you “same price” and all the other nonsense. Now there are two main problems with this! Firstly, by jumping in with these guys, you risk being ripped off as the price often gets changed before you have even closed the doors. Said change can also happen mid-motorway or when you are really vulnerable. This is often followed with or in accompaniment to the classic “no change”. I personally navigate this by just refusing to pay, which usually speeds up the finding of change.
Doing this also loses you all the safety and security that the Grab app gives you. This is evidenced by just how popular the app is within Vietnam, with said popularity coming from the fact that the taxi drivers here are just so famously dishonest. And it does not end there.
Sadly, the last trick with car drivers is when you pay with a card on the app, but they try to get cash out of you when you arrive. Sometimes this is done by not starting the ride (which will mean a double charge) or simply asking for money at the end. Again, just say no and do one.
Click to read about the Hanoi taxi scam.
A sign warning against fake GrabBike drivers is seen at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Khai / Tuoi Tre
Fake Grab Motorbike Drivers in Vietnam
Even more annoying than the fake Grab car drivers are the fake motorbike drivers because, well, they are not really fake, but more just out-and-out crooks. These are guys that wear the Grab jackets, so one assumes they have at least worked at times for the company but seem to gain most of their income from selling other things.
Said things are everything from drugs to children (I shit you not) and everything in between. Advice here is short, sharp, and easy – do not engage with them AT ALL, with the only real question being what is Grab doing to stamp out this?
How to Avoid Fake Grab Drivers in Vietnam?
Fake Grab drivers are really easy to avoid in Vietnam! You know how? Just use the Grab App or other similar ones like GoJek. Now maybe you think it’s nice to give money directly to the drivers, but trust me on this—no good deed ever goes unpunished.
Should you though be in a city that does not yet have Grab (there are a few), make sure you agree to a price before driving and have the exact change on hand for when you arrive. There you go – The Street Food Guy has warned you!
Click to check out my Vietnam Tours.