What do Singaporeans say about being asked for money at Noi Bai airport?

Updated 4 minutes ago

The post of a Singaporean citizen accusing the immigration security officer of asking for money when doing customs procedures on January 2 was shared dizzyingly on Facebook with more than 20,000 interactions.

Talking to BBC News Vietnamese on January 3, the owner of the article, Mr. Pillai, informed that he is a Singaporean citizen, has traveled to many places and been to Vietnam many times, but this is the first time encountering this problem. Faucet at Vietnam airport is like the first time in life.

“I came to Vietnam to travel on Christmas and New Year holidays from December 24, 2022 to January 2, 2023 and so I don’t need to apply for a visa and I have not overstayed or committed any crime. ,” Pillai told the BBC.

He also reported the incident that happened at the Noi Bai airport border gate on February 2 when Pillai was about to leave Vietnam and return to Singapore:

“I was queuing up at the customs office at Noi Bai airport, Hanoi to prepare to return to Singapore, when it was my turn, I gave my passport to the immigration security officer, who gave me back the plane ticket. My ticket and pointed to the word “TIPS” on the ticket I was so confused I thought someone had written it on my boarding pass and then I realized he was the one who wrote it.

“I asked him how much money I had to give, he didn’t say anything but just pointed at the word TIPS while still holding my passport in hand. I was afraid that if I didn’t give the money, my exit would be blocked. made difficulties, problems.. Finally, I asked again how much I need to give, the officer was like 200,000 VND. But I only had 500,000 VND bill, I asked if I could change my money, he said. He nodded his head as if he was going to give it back but after I gave him the money he was indifferent as if nothing happened and didn’t give me any money back and I had to leave the counter when he called me Go and call the next person.

“At that time, I was afraid in my head, so I gave the money in fear, because I had heard bad things happen and then I went with my girlfriend, so I was afraid they would hurt her if I didn’t. compromise,” Pillai recalls.

BBC News Vietnamese has contacted the Immigration Department – Ministry of Public Security Vietnam but have not received a response.

After the incident happened, Pillai said he was very angry and immediately called the Singapore Embassy in Hanoi but no one answered.

He went on to call Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and report them on the incident. After finishing the call with the State Department, Pillai surreptitiously snapped a picture of the official while waiting in line to check baggage.

“I took the risk even though I knew I shouldn’t use the phone in that area, but I really didn’t have a choice. I’ve read and heard about corruption but not at the airport. The airport is a place for capital. I honestly gave in even though I did nothing wrong and I feel why I should pay that officer – let them do their job while going through customs.

“Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted me again today. They just double-checked what I said after seeing the post go viral on social media. I’m not really sure what action they will take but I told them, I’m not usually the type to post on Facebook but this post has been shared widely and also to raise awareness about this issue.

“For me, being an anti-corruption person and when I see it with my own eyes, it’s something I can’t swallow. So the content of this article, it goes against my principles and values ​​when I surrender to corruption, especially towards people in whom people put their trust,” Pillai asserted.

As someone who works for the government and understands Singapore’s strict laws, Pillai insists that what he said is really what he experienced and when the article went viral, he received many shares about it. similar solicitations from both Vietnamese and foreigners.

“There are a lot of Vietnamese people who messaged me saying that they are grateful for the article because they also encountered the same thing, they complained about it but no action was taken. This helps people in Vietnam, I’m glad I spoke up. I also expected that there would be people hating and attacking me on Facebook but actually a lot of people are on my side and defending me,” Pillai confided.

The Singaporean citizen said that even though he had a bad experience of asking for money at the Noi Bai airport border gate, he would still visit Vietnam in the near future because the country has a lot of good, friendly people as well. like delicious cuisine:

“I really like Vietnamese food, especially bun cha and cha ca. Coffee in hidden alleys is also something I really like. Honestly, I don’t know what action will be taken and to what extent because neither side wants diplomatic tensions. Will this problem be swept down the carpet? And I don’t really want to pressure my government, but I still want them to know what happened to me and protect their citizens if something worse happens.”

Under the article with nearly 20,000 interactions including likes, shares, and comments by Pillai, many people claiming to be Vietnamese citizens left their apologies and at the same time, recounted their experiences at customs when both at home and on exit.

A person named Kevin Lee alleges: “This really happened. And it’s really not your lucky day and in the context of Tet approaching, many people working for the government try to make extra money like that. I lived there for almost eight years, and this is very consistent. And to be fair, not all civil servants are targeting foreigners, because I see a lot of very nice people as well. belly.”

Many overseas Vietnamese, especially from the US, have also reported to BBC News Vietnamese that they are often asked for a little “tea cake” when doing security procedures.

“When I came back, I was asked for money for coffee, when I left, an officer asked if I had any more Vietnamese money left on my trip to Vietnam, if I did, I would give it to you. For a long time and to avoid trouble, people say that it takes 10-20 dollars or something to get through the gate, and then it becomes an unwritten law,” a Vietnamese-American told the BBC.

Mr. Hoang Hung, one of the administrators of the page ‘Me and the Embassy’ shared on his personal Facebook page that when he returned to Vietnam on Tet holiday, his wife was also asked “to ask for money to celebrate the year”.

Sharing with BBC News Vietnamese on January 4, Mr. Hung said that the abuses at Vietnamese embassies are also a form of TIP money, not only in security procedures:

“In my opinion, the state must first pay salaries commensurate with the work of civil servants and strictly handle these cases of extortion. On the other hand, the people must also resolutely not give money to civil servants and report it immediately when being cheated on. If everyone was like that Singaporean citizen, no public servant would dare to ask for money again.

“However, sometimes you have to accept paying for the job. Then save the evidence to file a lawsuit. Of course it’s a bad way, but it’s also a way to not lose your job. For example, the brothers and sisters in In foreign countries, I advise those who are far from the embassy to pay as much as the embassy requires, but to save the evidence to sue later, but sometimes just for a few tens of dollars, they have to go back a few hundred kilometers and lose an extra one. Working days will be miserable for you. Of course, if you’re tough and follow the law, you won’t pay more than the regulations even if you don’t get the job, but few people can do that,” Mr. Hung said.

In addition, many other people also told the BBC that they have never encountered a negative situation when at Vietnam’s airports, and that the paperwork at Vietnamese airports is becoming more and more transparent and quick.