Pickpocketing - What precautions?

[Pushka]

In Vietnam you just start walking in a predictable (straight) fashion and the cyclos just swarm around but miss you.

Although in HCM one of them carrying a passenger sliced off the straps of my bag and grabbed it as we walked across. I know petty crime is everywhere but it is rampant in Vietnam. Almost every traveller we met had been a victim of some theft. Even the hotel staff were saying that they'd had items stolen while wearing them. Loved HaNoi but the further south we travelled the less we liked the country.

Wow, that's really OT.

 

[amaroo]

Re: Quit hitting on me and help me out

In Vietnam you just start walking in a predictable (straight) fashion and the cyclos just swarm around but miss you.

Although in HCM one of them carrying a passenger sliced off the straps of my bag and grabbed it as we walked across. I know petty crime is everywhere but it is rampant in Vietnam. Almost every traveller we met had been a victim of some theft. Even the hotel staff were saying that they'd had items stolen while wearing them. Loved HaNoi but the further south we travelled the less we liked the country.

Wow, that's really OT.

Been lucky enough to visit Vietnam three times for a total of 4+ weeks - never had any issues with crime and found the people from SGN to HAN to be very pleasant and welcoming.

I've encountered more petty crime in first world Europe than Vietnam. Places like BCN are way ahead of the pack when it comes to drop kicks that see you as easy prey.

 

[legroom]

Re: Quit hitting on me and help me out

Been lucky enough to visit Vietnam three times for a total of 4+ weeks - never had any issues with crime and found the people from SGN to HAN to be very pleasant and welcoming.

I've encountered more petty crime in first world Europe than Vietnam. Places like BCN are way ahead of the pack when it comes to drop kicks that see you as easy prey.

Drifting off topic I know.

Got pick pocketed twice in Paris, once in Barcelona and nothing in SGN (stopped in mid track all occasions).

There are two sides to the story.

If you show some care & thought on how you handle / display your belongings, that helps to reduce the risk (not eliminating it).

I was of the same care but obviously the Parisienne gypsies were more determined.

 

[Pushka]

Quit hitting on me and help me out

We spent three weeks in Barcelona and Paris and were fine. We knew about gypsies in Paris, the bracelet issue near Montrmartre, the survey girls near Eiffel Tower and the gold ring thing. We knew about pickpockets in Barcelona.

Please don't give me the lecture about looking after ones belongings. I'm well aware of all those things thanks. I'm old enough to know the deal.

Another nasty incident was in a market in Nha Trang. We figured that one guy was following us. Then he disappeared (or we eluded him) and then saw another person watching us. Eventually we felt so threatened that we decided to leave the market. We quickly walked outside and to a taxi. We turned around and there were now three men walking towards us. The taxi driver (bless him) wound down his window and yelled at us to get in and shut the door quickly. Which I did. As the door slammed the first guy walked up to my door and banged on it. The taxi drove off quickly. As we looked out the back window the three guys were standing together and watched.

Maybe we were unlucky but after two such threatening incidents we didn't want a third.

We've travelled all around the world, backpacked in India, Sri Lanka in the mid eighties in the midst of the terrorist attacks (for an adoption) and never ever have felt as personally threatened as we have in Vietnam.

As far as a little bit on topic, as a female I've travelled solo quite a bit and if I can't manage something on my on then it doesn't happen as I don't expect anyone to help me out.

 

[legroom]

Re: Quit hitting on me and help me out

.... Please don't give me the lecture about looking after ones belongings. I'm well aware of all those things thanks. I'm old enough to know the deal. .

Not sure why you got antsy about my innocuous comments which suggest that not all tourists are "target" and we are mostly responsible to reduce our target size.

If that comment were elevated to a "lecture", then nearly every post in every AFF thread becomes a lecture as it contains snippet of tips, advice, opinion etc....

"Traditional open air markets, especially those selling handicrafts in developing countries, combine many of the above risk factors and are often infested with pickpockets"

"Dress inconspicuously so as not draw attention to yourself as a "rich foreigner."

source

PS: it is so far off topic now I won't add anything to this