The Nha Trang Ward Police works with the driver in the trick case. — Photo courtesy of the Nha Trang Ward Police

KHÁNH HOÀ — A driver in the central province of Khánh Hoà has admitted to police that he swapped a tourist’s VNĐ200,000 note (US$7.5) for a VNĐ10,000 note ($0.4) in a bid to steal the money, an incident that was caught on camera and sparked public outrage.

Leaders of the Nha Trang Ward Police on Sunday said they were consolidating the case file to handle N.A.T., 34, from the northern province of Phú Thọ, in accordance with the law.

T. is the driver shown in the viral trick video, in which he turns a South Korean tourist’s VNĐ200,000 note into a VNĐ10,000 one.

At the police station, T. admitted that in November last year he was driving a seven-seat car providing independent taxi services.

T. picked up two Korean tourists from the Ponagar Tower area and took them to Đầm Market in Nha Trang Ward.

At the end of the trip, the male tourist sitting in the front passenger seat handed over a VNĐ200,000 note to pay the fare. T. took the money with his left hand while quickly handing back a VNĐ10,000 note with his right hand, claiming the passenger had given short change and demanding more money.

The entire incident was recorded on a mobile phone by a female tourist in the back seat and later posted on social media under the title 'Beware of Nha Trang’s magicians!.' The caption accompanying the clip stated: “They receive the VNĐ200,000 note with their left hand and pull out a VNĐ10,000 note with their right.”

The clip quickly attracted large numbers of views and shares, triggering public outrage and raising concerns about damage to the image of Nha Trang’s tourism industry.

Immediately after the video surfaced, Nha Trang Ward authorities launched a verification process to handle the case in accordance with the law. — VNS