Police in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi are verifying a case in which a taxi driver allegedly asked his two Japanese guests to pay ten times more than the normal rate.

A high-ranking police officer of Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem District on Friday said local police have launched an investigation into a complaint by two Japanese students who claimed that a taxi driver had charged them VND420,000 (US$18), or ten-fold higher than the amount displayed on the taxi meter.

The investigation was conducted following a post earlier made on social media requesting competent agencies to handle the case, the officer said. 

At 6:00 pm on August 31, two Japanese students rented a taxi to move from a bank on Tran Quang Khai Street in Hoan Kiem to a place on Ly Thuong Kiet Street in the same district, according to the post.

When the taxicab reached the destination, the driver asked the foreigners to pay him ten times higher than the charge amount of VND42,000 ($1.8) seen in the cab meter, the post said.

The district police are verifying this alleged overcharge and the driver will strictly be punished if the allegation is proved, the officer said.

Many viewers of the post commented that the overcharge case has caused upset to the two Japanese students, undermined the prestige of Hanoi’s passenger transport sector, and stained the gentle image of the capital city whose inhabitants are friendly and hospitable.

Many similar cases, in which taxi drivers, goods sellers and restaurant owners overcharged their customers, especially foreigners, have been uncovered and strictly handled by police of the district and Hanoi in general, local police reported.

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