Tourist's terrifying ordeal after being 'robbed at knifepoint'
Tom Anderson was on a three month trip around Asia when the incident occurred.
A backpacker has detailed the terrifying moment he was allegedly "robbed at knifepoint" while on holiday in Vietnam, just one day after arriving in the country as part of his three month trip.
Tom Anderson had planned to travel around Asia, starting in Bangkok and then Thailand before the 27-year-old arrived in Vietnam on 21 December. But tragedy struck the next day following a night out with friends when he was on his way back to his hostel.
Anderson claims he spotted a fellow traveller on the street who appeared drunk, so he decided to walk her home. Minutes after dropping the woman off, he claims he was attacked by two "big" strangers wearing "masks and sunglasses".
"I was on my way back to the hostel and went down a dark alleyway, and these men came up to me and told me to give them my cash," Anderson from the UK said. "I could feel the tip of the knife in my back and thought ‘what the f**k’. I was really scared".
"I only had 50,000 dong on me (approx A$5.70) so they told me to get my card out and took me to an ATM where forced me to make several withdrawals until my card was finally declined."
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Authorities 'couldn't help'
The British man said he went to the police to report the incident but as he had been drinking and couldn’t remember the exact address of the ATM or street he’d gone down, "they couldn’t help me" he said.
Anderson, who also holds US citizenship, visited the UK embassy in Vietnam on multiple occasions, but due to the holidays, claims he has not been able to speak to anyone yet.
He’s now focusing on trying to reach his banks in Britain to report the incident and hopefully be able to get his money back. According to Tom, the victims came away with around A$380 to $560 (£200 to £300).
"I went to the police afterwards but they couldn’t help me. didn’t know which street it was or if there were cameras," he explained.
"I also went to the UK embassy, but the security guard told me it was closed. There isn’t much I can do to get my cash back but I’m trying to figure out if my insurance will cover it.
"For now, I’m relying on friends and strangers to help by taking out cash and then I send them the money through my online bank, as my cards don’t work.
"Thinking back now, it was really terrifying, though I don’t feel scared walking around after what happened because I was stupid and walking alone late at night."
Jam Press
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