The shoeshine scam turns a small favor into an argument. A shoeshine man points at your shoes, declares them dirty or broken, and starts wiping, gluing, or "repairing" them before you've agreed to anything — then demands a price far above what was implied, claiming the quote was "per shoe" or that glue and materials cost extra. Some will even slip a shoe off your foot to start. The defense is to never let the work begin: keep walking and give a firm "Không" (no).
How the Shoeshine Scam Works
It relies on getting started before you can object. A man approaches in a friendly or insistent way, points at your shoes, and begins shining or "fixing" them on the spot — sometimes taking a shoe to work on it, which makes walking away awkward. A tiny price may be mentioned, or none at all; either way, when he's finished he names a much higher figure, explaining that the quote was for one shoe, or that he had to add glue, a new sole, or polish. The pressure of an already-done job and a removed shoe is what pushes tourists to overpay. None of it was agreed, and you were never obliged to it.
Where You'll Encounter It
On busy tourist streets, especially in walkable old towns:
- Hanoi and Vietnam: common in the Old Quarter and around Hoan Kiem Lake.
- Other destinations: versions of the unsolicited-shoeshine and "dropped brush" routine appear in Istanbul, parts of India, and other tourist cities.
The Red Flags
- An unsolicited approach pointing at your shoes and calling them dirty or broken.
- Work beginning before any price is clearly agreed.
- Someone trying to take a shoe off your foot.
- "Per shoe" pricing or surprise charges for glue, soles, or materials.
How to Avoid It
Keep walking and give a firm, polite "Không" — Vietnamese for "no" — without slowing down, and don't let anyone start touching your shoes. Never hand over a shoe or let one be removed. If you actually want a shine, agree the exact total price out loud before any work begins and hold them to it. The whole scam depends on the job being underway before terms are set, so the moment to stop it is at the very first approach.
What to Do if You're Pressured
If work has already been done and a price is demanded, stay calm, hold to a small fair amount for the actual work, and move toward a busy, public area rather than arguing in an isolated spot. It's rarely worth escalating over a few dollars, but you're not obliged to pay an invented "per shoe" or "materials" total. Our guide on what to do after a scam has more if things go further.
See the full destination guides for every scam you'll meet on the ground, area by area.
Tourist scams in Hanoi →