Coronavirus testing scam in Vietnam targets South Korean tourists

The Korean embassy said VietJet Air frequently rejected visitors’ valid negative test results, and airport brokers fleeced them for an emergency last-minute test

Seoul has asked Hanoi’s state security agency to investigate the fraud complaints

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South Korean tourists arrive at Phu Quoc airport in Vietnam. File photo: AFP

Published: 1:05pm, 8 Sep 2022Updated: 1:08pm, 8 Sep 2022

The Korean embassy in Vietnam has stepped up efforts to prevent a coronavirus testing-related scam, with such fraud cases on the rise targeting South Korean tourists in the Southeast Asian country when they return home.

According to the embassy and the South Korean foreign ministry on Wednesday, two embassy staffers visited the office of VietJet Air in Hanoi two days earlier and took issue with the budget airline’s rejection of Korean travellers’ negative Covid-19 test results, which left them exposed to rapid antigen test fraud. VietJet Air is a Vietnamese low-cost carrier (LCC), based in the capital city of Hanoi.

They also urged the company to request the People’s Public Security of Vietnam investigate the fraud complaints.

In response, the LCC said the state security agency was already aware of the issue, adding it will once again ask for its efforts, according to the embassy.

The embassy has also complained to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

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