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What are the most common scams targeting expats in Vietnam?

PHONY ONLINE VISA AGENTS who promise to fix visa application problems or simply offer Visa application assistance that never materializes.

Also,

ONLINE AGENCIES PROMISING WORK PERMITS AND EMPLOYMENT VISAS ALONG WITH BOGUS EMPLOYMENT

What are the specific warning signs to look out for?

if it's too good to be true it almost certainly is.

Have you noticed certain groups being more vulnerable (for example, retirees, new arrivals, or non-native speakers)?

Virtually everyone is a non-native speaker when they visit this country. it's not like the United States where significant numbers of new arrivals speak some English.

People from politically unstable nations where poverty is high seem to be most likely to be targeted by scammers.

it's been noted by us here in the forum as well as by the Vietnamese press that citizens of African nations seem to have the greatest risk of being scammed, especially for fake work permits.

What tips and advice would you like to share to help other expats? Cheryl º£½ÇÂÒÂ× Team - @Cheryl

Make your first trip here non-committal and exploratory. Do NOT sell all of your possessions and spend all of your savings crossing an ocean to get here as the risk is very high that there will not be a job waiting for you, so there will not be a work permit waiting for you, so a legal employment visa will not be available for you.

Spend the minimum amount of money possible coming here FIRST on a tourist visa, then explore opportunities face-to-face with prospective employers.

There is absolutely no legal employment available here without a work permit and in order to get a work permit, you must be approved as an expert by the government.

If you think you can come here and get by working at entry level jobs, that's absolutely forbidden. All of those employment opportunities are reserved for Vietnamese citizens.