Many foreign tourists visiting Hanoi complain about being harassed by local street vendors.

This problem is often seen in many areas, including West Lake area, Mai Xuan Thuong flower garden and the old quarter. 

Many other tourists who seemed to know about vendors’ tricks, try to run when seeing them approach but are still followed by them.

Unhappy tourists have complained about street vendors for a long time but local police have never addressed the problem sufficiently seriously.

DTiNews reporters captured some images of this bad behaviour of local vendors:

At the area near the West Lake, a female vendor tries to invite foreigners to take photos with their load of fruits. She then cajoled them into paying money for this.

Many customers complained that they had to pay up to hundreds of thousands of Vietnam dong for several bananas and pieces of pineapples after posing with their load of fruits and conical hats. 

Lots of foreigners said they felt uncomfortable by this behaviour of vendors, thinking that they were treated. 

In some cases, vendors try to put their load of fruits on foreigners’ shoulder and then charge them