IShowSpeed - a famous YouTuber and streamer with 29.8 million followers on YouTube came to Vietnam to participate in an event taking place in Ho Chi Minh City on September 15.
Immediately after landing at Tan Son Nhat Airport on the morning of September 14, the male streamer began livestreaming his journey to explore Ho Chi Minh City. He visited many famous places such as Ben Thanh Market, Nguyen Hue Walking Street, Museum of Jewelry of 54 Vietnamese Ethnic Groups, Nguyen Dynasty Royal Palace Museum and Landmark 81 building.
The appearance of IShowSpeed attracted the attention of many fans, creating a chaotic scene on some central streets. At Ben Thanh Market, security was forced to close the gate to prevent the crowd from rushing in. Although IShowSpeed was grateful for the affection of Vietnamese fans, he also felt uncomfortable when he was constantly pushed.
In addition, on this trip, IShowSpeed also had the opportunity to enjoy Huynh Hoa bread, a famous bakery with a history of over 35 years and is considered one of the best in Ho Chi Minh City.
On the evening of September 14, while exploring Nguyen Hue walking street, IShowSpeed encountered an unexpected situation. Two men rented a self-balancing electric bike to a male tourist for 1 million VND for a few minutes of experience, while the normal rental price is only from 30,000 to 50,000 VND/hour.
The incident was recorded during IShowSpeed's livestream and quickly spread on social networks, causing mixed reactions from the community.
Immediately after receiving the information, Ben Nghe Ward Police, District 1 quickly began investigating. Two men involved in the incident were invited to the headquarters for questioning on the night of September 14.
Through verification, the authorities determined that V.P.Q.M (23 years old, residing in District 4) was the person who directly rented the car and offered the price of 1 million VND. The other person, N.M.H (53 years old, residing in District 1), only acted as an interpreter because M. did not know English.
Ben Nghe Ward Police issued a decision to administratively fine M for the acts of “illegally using urban roads and sidewalks to provide electric vehicle rental services” and “trading in goods of unknown origin”, with a total fine of 10 million VND. M. had his vehicle confiscated and was forced to write a commitment not to re-offend.
Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said that the unit had apologized to IShowSpeed and appreciated the quick and timely handling of this incident by the authorities.
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism also issued warnings about cases of street vendors "overcharging" and pledged to strengthen measures to prevent this situation at tourist destinations.
After working with the authorities, the two men involved realized their mistake and went to the hotel where IShowSpeed was staying to apologize. IShowSpeed representatives accepted the apology, received their money back, and thanked the authorities for handling the incident quickly.
This incident once again emphasizes the importance of protecting tourists' rights and maintaining the friendly tourism image of Ho Chi Minh City in particular and Vietnam in general.
IShowSpeed, real name Darren Watkins Jr., born in 2005, is a famous American streamer and YouTuber. He is known for his gaming livestreams on YouTube and Twitch.
In 2022, he received the Breakthrough Streamer award at the 12th Streamy Awards.
