As reported here yesterday, Chinese nationals have been working illegally as tour guides for Chinese tour groups visiting Da Nang, even though the city has around 360 Vietnamese guides who speak Chinese.  The unlicensed Chinese tour guides are employing cunning tricks to defy the country’s regulations.

On Thursday, in an attempt to deal with the issue which is causing great concern, representatives from local relevant agencies discussed effective measures to deal with any organisations or individuals found conducting illegal tourism activities in the city.

Chinese tourists visiting the Ba Na Hills Resort

The Vice Director of the city’s Department of Tourism, Mr Tran Chi Cuong, said that the city now has 7 travel agencies which specialise in organising tours for Chinese tourists.

The city usually welcomes an average of 30,000 Chinese tourists per month. However, the increasing number of Chinese tourists arriving in the city has raised worries amongst the general public about the problem of unlicensed Chinese tour guides, the tourists insisting on using their yuan currency to pay for local services, and an incident of burning a Vietnamese banknote.  These illegal acts are blighting the city’s tourism image.

Vice Director Cuong announced that, so far this year, a total of 215 million VND in fines has been imposed on 12 foreigners for illegally working as tour guides and on one travel agency for conducting illegal tourism activities in the city.  Investigations are also underway into the operation of 2 other travel agencies which organise tours for Chinese tourists.

Today (1 July), representatives from the municipal Department of Tourism met with the city’s Chinese-speaking tour guides to find the best ways to promote their operations.  Tomorrow, there will be a meeting with the city-based travel agencies which organise tours for Chinese tourists to try to sort out the problem.

Vice Director Cuong also remarked that importance will be attached to keeping a closer eye on Chinese nationals suspected of illegally working as tour guides for Chinese tour groups visiting Da Nang. 

Also, stricter penalties will be imposed on any local Vietnamese travel agencies, hotels and tour guides for colluding with the city-based foreign tourism companies to carry out illegal tourism activities in exchange for receiving illegal commissions.

In particular, foreigners will be deported from the city if they are found to be repeating illegal acts after being fined or warned for first violations.

The municipal association of Tourism and Travel, and the city’s Tour Guide Club, will become actively involved in raising awareness amongst local travel agencies, hotels and tour guides of the need to comply with the national regulations about tourism activities. 

Authorities in Son Tra and Ngu Hanh Son districts will tighten their management of tourism companies and ex-pats who are living in their locations, and immediately report any law breakers to local relevant agencies to be dealt with.