Warning Warning Warning-Motorbike/Cyclo drivers in Hue
I also posted this in the other areas thread, but I think anyone mongering in Vietnam should be aware of this.
Warning- On June 25th, I was in Hue and looking for a little action. In the main tourist area, it was common for moto or cyclo drivers to approach you with offers of $10 girls, so finally I decided to take one of them up on the offer, and it was a three minute ride to a place which was on a main street but set back from it. I walk in and choose my girl who was nothing fantastic but acceptable for $10. We go in a room which only had couches and a tray of beverages and food was brought in (yes, I did figure I would be paying something for this). I grabbed a beer and she helped herself to a soda without asking. We kissed for a little bit and then she starts feeding me fruit from the tray. Then she opens a small bag of chips and I started telling her no, stop opening stuff (although she didn't really speak English, but my body language was clear) because I could see exactly where this was going. Then she opens a bottle of water and tries to get me to drink it and I was like I have my beer and refused. Anyway, then she said suck suck, and I was like yea, that is what I came for. We bargain, she started at 500, 000 (a far cry from the $10 I was promised), but being Vietnam I bargained her down to 200, 000. She wanted the money and I paid in advance (always a bad idea and I do know better). The result was a lousy handjob with no lubricant. I said wait a minute, you said suck suck, and she said yes, sook sook with a hand motion as if that is the Vietnamese word for a handjob, I of course wasn't buying but not a lot I could do.
I wish that was the worst of this story, but it is not. After I finished she wiped me off and then immediately opened the door and started saying something in Vietnamese, I did not even have my pants up yet and was like what the fuck. I told her to close the door and she ignored me. Then, three more people came in, an overweight bouncer type, the boss, and another girl, and they look at the tray and started writing out a bill, which I knew was coming. They wanted a whopping 1 million dong, which I laughed at, and said no way in hell. They tried to say there was a room charge and all this stuff, and I said frankly the girl was lousy, the only thing I actually opened was a beer, and a beer, soda, some fruit, small bag of chips, and even the bottle of water that the girl opened did not add up to 1 million, maybe like 50, 000. They even pointed to the moist towlettes, saying that was part of the bill. I was like whatever and attempted to just leave, not an option as I was pushed back, so I just sat down on the couch and figured I had to wait them out a bit. Of course, they were yelling at me and trying to intimidate me, but I remained defiant. Then they dropped it down to 300, 000. I still refused and they were not happy, threatening to kill me. I told them to go ahead (because I knew they were full of shit). I also told them I would be calling the police and the boss said he owned the police and he was with the mafia, which I laughed at. He said he was going to get his club, I told him to go ahead. Then they dropped it to 200, 000, and I still said it was too much. At that point he grabbed my throat as if he was going to choke me, but really didn't choke or hurt me. He again said he was going to kill me and that he was going to get his club. I told him to go ahead. He then left the room (not a good sign) and actually came back with a club, I showed no fear but I was getting very concerned even though I really thought they were full of shit. They said 100, 000 and I said okay, I paid it, and they walked me outside, where motorbikes were waiting. The motorbike drivers did the typical calling out of motorbike, and I said no, I don't need to go anywhere, I just need to find a phone to call the police. I walked out to the main road and took note of the surroundings and the addresses of the neighboring buildings so I could remember where this was and identify it for the police. The asshole boss then came out and gave me a 50, 000 note and said here, now you only pay 50, 000, now go. I took a motorbike, still taking note of the way back and how to get there. When I got back to my hotel (small guesthouse), I said that I needed to talk to the police and asked them to call them for me. Apparently the owner of the hotel is also a police officer, so they said they could definitely help me. They called a friend who speaks good English, and I told him the whole story. He said yes, the police will do something, we will go talk to the owner, he is police. The two of them talked in Vietnamese, and then they asked me where it was, I gave them complete directions with street address, and the cop/owner changed the look on his face when he heard the directions. I was then told that it was too far away (3 minutes by motorbike) for the police to do anything, and that I just needed to be careful, which I saw straight through, obviously they do have a police connection.
Anyway, I guess the most important thing is to follow basic mongering rules, never pay in advance, don't bring more money than you need in case you get robbed (an empty wallet would also help bargain them down, showing them you don't have it.) Also, going to places recommended on this forum is probably a safer bet. If you do wind up in a situation like this, just remain defiant, stay strong, and be prepared to wait. Oh, and two days later in Hanoi I found myself trapped in the back of a taxi (doors/windows wouldn't open) with a rigged meter that ran ten times as fast and the driver wouldn't let me out as I refused to pay. I again just waited it out and after about twenty minutes I was freed without paying a cent. Apparently, only take taxis with reputable companies. I have been to 22 countries, including supposedly dangerous ones in Central America, and Brazil, mongered and traveled all over, but I have never had these kinds of issues anywhere else.
Stay away from Hong Bang hotel at 54 Hung Vuong, HCMC
in keeping with the subject matter at hand i have to do this.
this only details what another fellow monger had already described was likely to happen. i am only confirming that it does happen. cute motorbike girls in the evening and at night, by themselves and riding behind an old lady around pham ngu lao and trang hung dao, bad news. because i had read that report i knew what to expect so what happened was not a surprise. but the fact still stands that i let it happen! ah the lure of asian pussy!
last week on pham ngu lao around 8pm i was approached by two cutie pies on two separate occasions, one looked like a ladyboy and the other one really really hot, and offered massage for $10 with more for $20. i asked the cute one for the next day but that offer was not accepted. they both were really pushy. i was going to meet someone shortly so i didn't take it up.
later around 11pm i was walking on trang hung dao and two motorbikes come. one being driven by a cutie and one by mamasan with a cutie pillion riding. both cutie pies with immaculate makeup, both 8+, both eminently doable. offer - $10 massage, more for $20. the setup screams fraud but i had had relatively easy time so far so to add some excitement i said yes. in the back of my head i was thinking whatever i can get from this cutie would be a bonus. somehow i hadn't been able to get my hands on this kind of merchandise in the bars. she wouldn't go to my hotel because "no id". the girl is not ****. she is easy in early 20s. even then "no id". second opportunity to walk away turned down by me.
i had to go to their hotel mimosa. mamasan gets off and cutie pie drives me to the hotel. the hotel is not mimosa! the hotel name is something else! third opportunity to walk away turned down by the little head. anything, anything i can from this vietnamese hottie.
she checks herself in, gives some money, everything happens super fast. i see a lot of cuties around there. this looked like some kind of base. an army of cutie pies! take the staircase to the third (top) floor. i get asked for money upfront even when they had said that i would need to pay only "later". i pay her 300k. i know this is bullshit so i try to delay the thing and light a cigarette. hottie wouldn't let me smoke, she pushed me into the shower half way through the smoke. i grabbed my clothes along with me and walked into the bathroom, she shut the bathroom door. after a while she opened the door herself, smiled forcefully and stepped away. opportunity to pick the pocket while i am in the shower was removed. what had to happen if they were to really do this was to get someone under the bed. maybe this was why she completely shut the bathroom door.
i light another cigarette and lie on the bed face down. extraordinarily bad beating, sound making, kind of massage ensues for 30 seconds. then she asks me to turn my head. oh boy. they really really have to do this. the fact that the guy is being careful flies over their head. extraordinarily bad massage begins again. if they are to do something they've got to be doing it now i was thinking. i don't turn my head immediately. one minute passes then i turn my head on the pretext of using the ashtray. she immediately dropped her head in front of me and said something. in the meantime i saw what i thought i would see. these kinds of stories i have read mostly on the cambodia forum. i see a guy on his fours withdrawing from my trousers with his head pointed in my direction. they are determined. they just absolutely have to do this. i don't react. i act like i didn't see anything. i just didn't want to create a panic situation. panic is where really bad things can happen. and i am naked and vulnerable. i will see about it later i thought. moments later she starts talking, "are you talking to me?" i said. she says "boyfriend". she was talking into her cellphone. moments later knock on the door. mamasan that was driving this chick walks in, the chick hurries out the door. they are just shameless. give the guy at least something. something, anything! how different is this from snatching money from a guy standing next to you? this is bullshit of highest degree. but i can't say that i didn't know this right from the start! "she has to see her boyfriend" she says motioning something from her hand. i throw my hands in the air thinking "what the fuck?".
i dress up, mamasan looks inquisitively at my trousers as she hands them over to me. game over. my and their foolishness is over. now it's time for episode 2. mamasan says "girl", "hotel". i am not listening. i have figure out how to handle part two. i follow mamasan down, slip my hands into my pocket, i see two 100k bills, i was keeping loose money with no wallet, stuff from the middle is gone. mamasan gallops ahead. i follow her all the way to reception and stop. she charges out of the hotel, never looks back. what the fuck is she thinking? even if the guy didn't know that his pocket had been picked, he was going to say "something". you can just charge him 300k for nothing! and specially when this place looks like a base, there's got to be somebody else he could talk to.
i don't step out of the main entrance in case they lock me out. i move around the reception area, light a cigarette and position myself on the corner of sofa. i don't see any shady characters, a few small sized hotel workers hanging around. there's a restaurant right across and it is active so i see few chances of a fight going down. then i see two cutie pies pulling two relatively young asian guys from their hands trying to take them outside. what's this, inside out operation like mine was outside in, i thought? anyhow, to make my intentions of being there clear, i yell to the guys "watch your pocket". the nervous guy immediately pulls out his wallet. the girl is shocked! who the fuck is he and what the fuck is he doing here? after some more nervous shuffle among the guys and girls i yell again "they will steal your money!". the girls pulled the guys back inside and one of them yelled "you no good!". you're damn right babe, i am no good, no good for your operation. another one gets on the cell phone and yells vehemently into it. something's happening they all know now. a motorbike guy starts waving at me from outside. they want to send me away. really? with no sign of impending threat? not yet my friend. i do throw my hands in the air and ask him "what??".
after some time the old lady at the counter smiles and asks as if she doesn't know anything "who are you waiting for?". "the girl who came with me". "your friend has already left". "no problem, she'll be back with another customer". "what?". "she stole my money". then she says something to a smart looking guy in vietnamese and says to me smiling, "my son". he comes over and say something. i reply, "well, like you know what these girls are doing in your hotel, one of them stole my money and i want my money back". "what?", he doesn't know anything. you kidding me asshole?
i have finished my second cigarette by this time and i am staying put. if these are the guys i will have to engage with then i can do it i thought. i still don't see anything that would scare me. total 15-20 minutes have passed. now an ugly looking woman walks out and hands me over the missing 100k bills. i count them and point my fingers for 3 bills more. only these she insists by hand. i pointed to the money then pointed to my pocket, pointed 3 fingers again and said "girl". she nods, goes back in and comes out with 3 more. i collect the money, ask her to step away from the door, walk out, curse at the motorbike guy still standing outside looking at me, call the smart looking guy an asshole, repeat it on his request and storm off.
i was thinking whether i should go to the police or not. i didn't want to grab the nearby motorbike guys but then i didn't want to stay there much longer either. reluctantly i grabbed one asked and him to go to my street. he might have driven a few meters when we approach an intersection where i see two cops who were working on a driver they had stopped. excellent opportunity. i get off the bike, wouldn't have to give away my location i thought, give him 5k, and walk over to the police. story to be continued, there was as much fun with the police as with the chicks.
the hotel was hong bong hotel, 54 hung vuong street, ho chi minh city between the streets of le hong phong and ho thi ky. dangerous. bad. criminal.
[size=-2][b][u]editor's note[/u]:[/b] [blue]i would suggest that the author or another forum member consider posting a link to this report in the reports of distinction thread. please [url=http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/announcement-reportsofdistinction.php?]click here[/url] for more information.[/blue][/size]
Hong Bang chicks, police, et al
Seeing the opportunity of being able to get rid of the motorbike driver I didn't want from that location I walk over to the cops. At the very least the thugs couldn't send their army at me and I could pick a new driver and go home. I decided I want to take it one step further and actually file a report. The fact that my name would be attached to the report and could, at some future time when I decided to run for president, be culled by someone and used against me notwithstanding. I was going to do it.
The cops don't understand jackshit. They take the help of the driver they are busy mugging. This is not going well. The driver using a mixture of Vietnamese, English and hand signs manages to tell me I need to go to the nearby police station which is round the corner somewhere. That was enough. I immediately grabbed a taxi and asked him to go to the "police station". His excitement balloon popped, he stopped understanding anything and parked his taxi by the curb. WTF I thought. Next the motorbike guy. He wouldn't go. This was fucking crazy. They've got to know the police station these scumbags who drive for a living. I thought this was the end but it was not. As I started walking away the same cops drove up from god knows where, probably they were watching. They said something in Vietnamese and the motorbike guy promptly brought me to the police station. And at a fair price too.
Walk into the police station and explain my story. I had glanced at the hotel name and I thought I knew what the name was but these guys said there wasn't any hotel with that name. "Go round the corner and you will see it. Big yellow sign. I will show you if you want me to", I said. One of the policemen then drove off to who knows where. I was given a form and I started writing. There it goes, along with all the gory details of the shady activity I had committed to but which were not performed on me. Because they were not performed I could be a little obscure but even then there was enough material to make me lose my chance to be the president. I was going to do it. Out of hundreds who get robbed like this there must be a few who would do it. I was ready to be one of them. I am often ready to take the other side because SOMEBODY should. A lot of slow drivers in the left lane at some place in some country realize this very well. A lesson has been taught to them. Somebody should let them know there is a consequence. Life isn't big enough to let such people get by every time, there need to be more frequent hurdles.
The policeman who had driven off now comes back with someone who speaks little bit of English. That was progress. Story repeated with the same result. "There is no such hotel". "It's right around the corner goddammit!!!", I wished I could speak this without jeopardizing whatever progress I was making. "Ok, this station doesn't cover the location you are suggesting. There's another station with jurisdiction of that area". This is also progress I convinced myself. They got a sentry of theirs to drive me to the other police station on his motorbike.
Sentry drops me there walks inside and waked up his counterpart. The new sentry walks over half dozing. Story repeated. "There is no such hotel". "YOU BASTARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!", I wished I could say this. I was getting really pissed at them, much more than I was at the people who had tried to rob me. The original guy who had driven me there and who I had tipped 20K by mistake thinking he was just a motorbike driver took charge and drove me back to the hotel. He stopped his bike at the gate, I noted the hotel name and address, the old lady at the reception noticed that I was back and must have noticed the uniform of my driver. This was the most I was going to accomplish in terms of threatening them.
Back to police station two. Now the hotel exists. The officer in charge is woken up. He listens half sleeping half awake. Goes inside and sends the sentry outside to ask me to come back the next day in the morning and keeps the paperwork.
I was still determined to do it. I go there next day at 9am sharp as requested. The officer there doesn't know jackshit. My paperwork is on his desk at the top. Story repeated. "You need to go to the Pham Ngu Lao police station. Point of first contact".
Bullshit! Son of a *****! Asshole!
It had to end at some point and after this I didn't have any more energy to file complaint with the FUCKING Vietnam police.
[size=-2][b][u]EDITOR'S NOTE[/u]:[/b] [blue]I would suggest that the author or another Forum Member consider posting a link to this report in the Reports of Distinction thread. Please [url=http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/announcement-reportsofdistinction.php?]Click Here[/url] for more information.[/blue][/size]
Very interesting reports of crime.
It might be counterintuitive but I'd suggest making the complaint to the local USA Consulate or embassy when something like this happens. They update reports on Internet regularly. I know it seems strange to go to the "feds" where mongering is involved but they are used to it. You can ask to speak to a male USA Consul if that makes it more comfortable. I know several cases where the consul has either helped out the victim, or put the event on the Internet, which many travelers read. (Obviously, mongering should never involve minors, which is illegal under USA Law.)
