The authorities in southern Vietnam are cracking down on a creatively destructive set of scamsters, whose speciality is to scatter nails on highways in order to puncture motorbike tyres. What’s the point of that? Because they’re in cahoots with bike repair shops, which then charge extortionate fees to fix them.
Although the ruse is commonplace across Vietnam, there has been a increase in nail attacks in Ho Chi Minh City and neighbouring Binh Duong province since the start of the Lunar New Year earlier this month.
Police in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s main business centre, have been using specially-adapted magnetic motorbike trailers to collect the nails, according to a report in the state-owned Vietnam News.
Meanwhile, volunteers have been out on the streets of Binh Duong collecting nails by hand and offering free tyre repairs to unlucky motorists.
The nail gangs in Binh Duong have been targeting the large number of tourists heading to the famous Ba pagoda in the auspicious early days of the new Lunar New Year, according to Phan Minh Tanh, head of the Communist youth federation in Thu Dau 1 district.
“I want to help tourists and keep the good image of my hometown,” the 30-year-old told beyondbrics as he picked up nails with other volunteers.
Out on the streets from 7am on Thursday until after midnight , Tanh and his comrades collected 100 nails and repaired 25 tyres. Since the Lunar New Year began on February 3, they have collected more than 20kg of nails.
With motorbike tyre punctures costing around 20,000 Vietnam dong (US$0.97) to fix and new tyres 150,000-200,000 Vietnam dong, they have provided a fine service to tourists and other travellers, while depriving the repair shops of some handsome, if ill-gotten, gains.
But, given that Binh Duong regularly comes at the top of the US government-funded Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index, the province doesn’t really need the additional stimulus.
Related reading:
Inflation fears as Vietnam devalues dong, FT
Police hit back against nail gangs, VietnamNet
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