Monkey business: Vietnam macaques draw tourists and criticism

NHA TRANG, Vietnam - Menacing macaques snatch bags of crisps, water bottles, cookies and crackers from uneasy tourists on Vietnam's Monkey Island, a popular attraction decried as cruel by activists calling for an end to animal tourism in Southeast Asia.

Tourists are encouraged to show the monkeys their empty hands if they don't want to be accosted by the aggressive macaques, who routinely steal snacks, hats, and even mobile phones from visitors, who nervously laugh and snap pictures.

"They grabbed my biscuits and climbed on my body," Dinh Thi Hoa said on the small island in Nha Phu bay in south-central Vietnam.