Da Nang has long served as a poster child for a Vietnamese urban development. It is clean and modern (free WIFI!), sports beautiful beaches and offers great seafood. However, a growing number of tourists say that the city’s charm is being diminished by rip-offs and thefts at local hotels and restaurants.

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According to Thanh Nien, numerous stories of hotels allowing thieves into guests’ hotel rooms that have surfaced in recent months.

The newspaper cited three cases wherein hotel employees gave room keys to thieves who simply walked up to the reception area and asked for them. Guests returned to their rooms stripped of their iPads, phones and cash. In some instances, the hotel blamed guests for leaving valuable items in their rooms.

Some tourists said that the city should suspend hotels that are unable to provide proper security for their guests.

 “When we stay at a hotel, we need to be able to feel completely safe,” said Hanoian visitor, Tran Duy Thai.

In some instances, tourists are being robbed by businesses themselves. A number of restaurants in the central metropolis have been accused of overcharging patrons, sometimes by jaw-dropping amounts. Some eateries blame calculation mistakes while others allegedly cooperate with gangsters to make sure customers pay their bills, no matter how inflated.

Instead of dropping the hammer on such establishments, Da Nang authorities have only added them to a list of restaurants tourists should avoid.

[Top Photo via KnG Đà Nẵng]