According to the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the city has around 70 people who are involved in harassing tourists on some of the inner-city streets, as well as at the most popular tourist attractions such as the Marble Mountains Tourist Area.

These people harass visitors at many different places across the city, and they readily fight back if any official tries to stop them.  This means that local relevant agencies have difficulty stopping them, and the problem has yet to be resolved.

A taxi driver providing travel information for a cruise ship passenger

In addition, the city has seen a number of taxi drivers competing with each other in a scramble for passengers.  This has caused public disorder and chaos, especially when cruise ship passengers arrive in the city.

In an attempt to deal with the matter, the municipal People’s Committee Vice Chairman, Mr Nguyen Xuan Anh, has urged service providers at local tourist attractions to display the prices of their services, as well as ensure their best quality service.  This should make tourists to the city feel more comfortable.

In addition, local taxi companies have been required to work closely with the city’s departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Transport to prevent  local taxi drivers from harassing and overcharging tourists.

Furthermore, local district authorities have been asked to estimate the costs of tourism development programmes in their areas and submit them to the city’s authorities for approval as soon as possible. 

They have also been required to ensure the balance of their budget collection and spending to develop the tourism sector.  This will make local tourism, which is regarded as a spearhead economic sector, one of the city’s 5 breakthroughs in developing the city’s economy in the near future.