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Vietnamese cabbie pays the price for ripping off South Korean tourist in Da Nang

By Staff reporters August 7, 2017 | 10:32 am GMT+7

The transport department stepped in for the first time after he allegedly charged the passenger $30 for a $2 journey.

A taxi driver in the central city of Da Nang has been suspended and is facing dismissal for overcharging a South Korean tourist.

The driver allegedly drove a South Korean woman from Da Nang International Airport to a hotel on An Thuong 26 Street, less than 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) away, on Friday evening. He then charged her VND700,000 ($30.8) for the journey, despite the meter only showing VND50,000.

The hotel informed Le Van Trung, director of the city's Department of Transport, of the incident via text message.

The department and the Da Nang Taxi Association identified the driver as Nguyen Truong Giang from the Hai Van taxi company using camera footage from the area and company records, according to Phap Luat Plus.

Giang and a representative from Hai Van met the tourist on Sunday to apologize and return her money, following instructions from the department.

The taxi company has also assigned a Korean-speaking driver to drive her for free for the entire duration of her stay in Da Nang, in addition to paying for her hotel fees, the newspaper reported.

A representative from the company said Giang has been suspended and will be fined and fired for his actions.

The unfortunate incident has tainted Da Nang's image, Phap Luat Plus quoted Bui Thanh Thuan, deputy director of the city's Department of Transport, as saying.

This is the first time transport officials have stepped in to deal with taxi drivers who overcharge, he added.