WARNING TO TOURISTS VISITING HOI AN

This blog is intended as a warning to fellow backpackers and tourists visiting the Hoi An region to not visit the ‘King Kong Bar’ in Hoi An. 

We went along for the ‘happy’ hour last night with several friends, and when we left the bar we were followed down the road by the staff who were armed with snooker cues, rocks and bamboo staffs.  Rather than merely threatening us with words though, they actually chose to put their plan into action resulting in myself and my boyfriend being attacked.  My face is now black and blue and both of us are aching all over.  It was an unbelievable situation to find ourselves in and it seems that our only offence was to have left the bar after happy hour was over.  There were 15 of us in total, all Western backpackers. 

Initially there were 2 assailants on motorbikes who drove passed us shouting abuse and making threats and finally blocking our path so as to force us back down the road.  When I tried to pass, the girl on the back of the bike jumped off and showered me with punches until she was pulled off me by several males in our group.  Within 30 seconds of this happening, four more motorbikes arrived with two men to each vehicle and all brandishing the aforementioned weapons.  I was then chased down again by the girl on the motorbike and set upon a second time, this time having been separated from the rest of the group the attack lasted a lot longer and I was kicked and punched a hideous amount of times until my boyfriend finally managed to rescue me.  This earned him a beating from several of the men in their group. 

We eventually managed to escape with about 7 other people to a nearby hotel where we asked them to call the police for us.  The remaining 6 people from our original group had managed to make it to the Sleepy Gecko Bar where they were able to shelter.  Although the bar was then attacked with rocks for helping them.

As for us, the police never arrived and the staff at the hotel were unwilling to help further and so we hitched a ride on the back of a stranger’s moto to the police station.  20 metres over the bridge!  We had to wake the police up and the moto rider translated the situation for us, how successfully we do not know.  My boyfriend was unaware at the point that our 6 friends had made it safely to the other bar and so persuaded the police officers and the moto rider to accompany him back down the road to where the attack took place, whilst I remained at the station on my own.  However, rather than take him where he asked, they took him back to the bar where he was again threatened by the bar manager who told him that if he ever returned to the bar he would be killed, whilst making slitting motions to his throat.  The police men stood next to Chris chose to do nothing at this point and when Chris asked to be taken back to the station they ignored him and instead remained at the bar.  He was then left to get back to me with the moto rider.

I have just googled King Kong Bar and discovered that the staff at this ‘establishment’ don’t exactly enjoy a friendly reputation.  For eg. http://www.offexploring.com/ciara/blog/vietnam/hoi-an

It seems that all we can do is warn other visitors to Hoi An to steer clear of this bar as the law as we know it doesn’t exist in Hoi An.