Where there are tourists, or anyone for that matter, there are people looking to scam you out of money. This can range from the relatively benign overcharging tourists for transport all the way up to outright theft. While it’s a very safe destination to visit, there are a few common scams in Laos to be aware of.
In all our months travelling in Laos, we’ve never experienced any scams so you don’t need to be constantly guarded. However, we’ve spoken to others who have been less fortunate and who’ve shared their stories with us. So its best to be aware of where/how scams could happen and how you can avoid them, even if they are unlikely.
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Laos Slow Boat Scam
If you’re getting the slow boat to or from Luang Prabang, it takes 2 days so you have to stop overnight in Pak Beng. This scam is when someone comes onto the boat just before it leaves and tells you there are no rooms left in Pak Beng. But, as a nice and helpful person, they will organize a place for you for a price well above the regular room prices.
When you get to Pak Beng, usually the room does exist and it’s probably ok. However, you’re getting hugely overcharged compared to how much it would have cost if you had booked in advance or directly.
How to avoid
Simple: book your room in advance.
There are plenty of options on Booking.com nowadays at various price points. Pak Beng can get fully booked though which really adds to the believability of this common Laos scam. When we were there we saw several people still walking around looking for a room at 9pm, 3 hours after the boat arrived!
Motorbike Scams
In this scam, when you rent a bike the company also organizes to have someone “steal” it from you when you’re parked. They will then demand that you pay hundreds of dollars to replace the “stolen” motorbike. Since most rentals take your passport as a deposit, your left you with no choice but to pay.
How to avoid
Always read reviews or take recommendations from trusted sources for motorbike/scooter rental. Not only due to scams, but also for your own safety so you know there are no issues with the bike.
Honestly, we’ve never met anyone who has experienced this scam or even that knows someone who has. So labelling it a ‘common scam’ in Laos is maybe a bit of a stretch. But it is something to be aware of when renting a bike anywhere in the world.
Alms Giving Scam
If you are participating in the alms giving ceremony, some locals may sell you some rice or snacks to give the monks. But they don’t give you enough so they keep refilling your basket with more. Then, when you come to pay at the end, they demand well over the odds for all the food you’ve given to the monks.
How to avoid
Unless you are Buddhist or will derive spiritual benefit from participating in the ceremony you shouldn’t get involved, instead you should observe at a respectful distance. If you are participating then buy what you need and then leave the line when you run out.
Even the locals don’t have enough for literally every single monk and novice so this is fine to do.
US Dollar Exchange Rate Scam
Many hotels list their prices in USD but if you try to pay them with Kip they may give a very poor exchange rate, increasing the cost by 10% or 20% from the USD price. Outside of the bougie hotels, almost nowhere takes card payments so this is the most common issue you’ll run into in Laos.
How to avoid
Legally all hotels in Laos are now supposed to list prices in Kip and USD. However the reality is most don’t. So make sure you know the exchange rate before you pay so you know how much it should cost.
But you do also need to be aware that the Laos hotel owners won’t get the same Kip/USD exchange rate from Laos banks as listed online so expect some small deviation. But not a huge amount.
You can always pay in USD too. Though you’ll need to be prepared and bring it with you as ATMs in Laos only dispense the local currency. But these notes have to be relatively new and in pristine condition with no tears or marks.
Damaged Money Scam
When paying in USD you may get change back in dollars too. However, the hotel or restaurant might give you torn or marked bills which you won’t be able to spend anywhere in Laos as they need to be in pristine condition to be usable.
How to avoid
If you’re from the US this may not be an issue at all. You can just take them home and spend them as normal. But if your not American or it will be a while before you go home again, carefully check any USD you are given while in Laos.
Any local would do the same so don’t feel bad about it.
Any tiny tear or small stain will cause you a problem so just refuse to accept any that are not perfect.
This is true in Cambodia too (and even more common) so if you’re visiting both countries be aware of this.
TukTuk Driver Scams
Replace ‘tuktuk’ with ‘taxi’ and this is a common scam, the world over.
After agreeing a price to get somewhere, the TukTuk driver stops somewhere remote and demands you give them more money or they will leave you there. This will usually only happen if there aren’t many people in the tuktuk.
How to avoid
Always agree the price up front with any tuktuk (or taxi) driver. We like to ask our hotel how much it should cost to get places so we have an idea of what is (and isn’t) reasonable.
Always have phone connection so you can call your hotel you get abandoned somewhere. It’s constantly getting cheaper and easier to get an eSIM or local SIM card to keep you online.
Ultimately there’s guarantee to avoid a bad tuktuk driver but this scam is increasingly uncommon as tourism increases.
Short Changing Scam
When in a market or shop, you pay for something and the seller hands you less change than they’re supposed to. This scam relies on your unfamiliarity with the currency so you won’t notice.
We didn’t once encounter this in 2 months in Laos, but have heard others having a frequent issue with it. Though we would also argue that it could be an honest mistake.
How to avoid
Know the price of what you’re paying for and check your change immediately when you’re given it. It’s easy when they hand you 5 or 6 notes to miss a 20k or 50k note.
Most places we’ve been in Laos use a calculator to show the price and count the change in front of you. So I really do believe that this is often just an honest mistake rather than a deliberate scam but maybe I’m too idealistic.
Restaurant Drugs Scams
Vang Vieng became notorious as a haven for travellers looking for a chemical high with “happy” restaurants offering menus of various substances along with food.
I’m not sure how commonplace this scam still is but we’ve heard of places working with corrupt local police. So whilst it was “safe” (or at least readily available) to consume the drugs inside the restaurant, the police would immediately pick you up outside. You’d then have to pay a very large fine to avoid going to jail cos, y’know, drugs are illegal.
How to avoid
Don’t take drugs is the easiest way to avoid this issue. If something is illegal in the country, don’t do it.
Maybe we’re simply old and boring, but a few hours of high isn’t worth a possible trip to a Laos jail cell or a $1000 fine ruining your trip.
Hotel Theft
This is another common scam, not just in Laos, but the world over. In this case, housekeeping or another member of staff go into your room while you’re out and steal cash or electronics.
How to avoid
Always read reviews of hotels online before going. Booking.com tries to have 100% verified reviews but you can also look on TripAdvisor and Google Maps for more feedback. If there seems to be a few red flags then stay somewhere else.
If you like to just pitch up somewhere and decide where to stay on the day, have a few options in mind that are well reviewed so you don’t end up having things stolen. Or just ending up in a crap hotel which is also no fun.
We prefer not to use hotel safes, partly because management will have an override code or key to get into it and also because we don’t trust our memories not to leave something behind! Instead, we always carry spare padlocks and lock our valuables back into our backpack/suitcase when we’re out.
Read next: Where to stay in Luang Prabang
Fake Tolls Scam
When you arrive somewhere, cross a bridge, or take a ferry across a river, you get charged extra compared to locals. Or they charge you a fee when it should be free in some form of “toll” or “tourist tax”.
This happened to us when we were charged as foot passengers on the ferry across the Mekong in Luang Prabang when, apparently, it should have been free. But they only charged us 5000 Kip ($0.25) each which is so little that I don’t really care.
How to avoid
Sadly you can’t.
Outside of major bridges or toll roads, it’s basically impossible to know which tolls are real and which are scams. If you’re surrounded by locals, you can keep an eye on what others are paying first then confidently hand over the correct amount.
Ultimately, these are usually for very small amounts, like the 5000 kip we were charged for the ferry. So I find it hard to care about maybe $1 total in fees I shouldn’t have paid on a trip over a couple of weeks.
Final Thoughts
We have never encountered a major scam while in Laos but its always important to be aware of them. It’s a good idea to have a decent handle of the money and conversion rates before you go so if something seems very expensive you can click right away and argue about the price.
Laos is beautiful and interesting and the people are extremely kind and friendly on the whole. A few bad ones engaging in any of these common scams in Laos doesn’t ruin an amazing country.
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