Where to meet safely in Vietnam: a practical list

eno covers all 34 provinces, so this advice works anywhere in Vietnam. Good places • A bank lobby during working hours. Cameras, staff, air conditioning, and you can confirm a transfer really landed before anything changes hands. Best for anything expensive. • The main entrance or food court of a large shopping centre. Busy, bright, cameras, security nearby. • The forecourt of the ward police station. Nobody with bad intentions agrees to meet there, which is exactly why proposing it is a free test. • A chain coffee shop with cameras and a guard on the motorbike parking. Places to refuse • A house, a room, or a warehouse you have never been to. • Alleys, empty car parks, building sites, and anywhere after dark. • A handover at the roadside while both of you sit on motorbikes. You cannot inspect properly and you cannot leave calmly. Details that matter • Go in daylight. Bring one other person. Tell a third person where you are going. • Carry the exact amount, or transfer at the table and wait for the seller to confirm it arrived. • For a motorbike or car, check the papers against the frame and engine numbers, and sign the sale contract at a notary office, not on the street. • If the seller changes the meeting point at the last minute to somewhere quiet, cancel. That is the strongest warning sign there is.