300 Taiwanese tourists abandoned in Phu Quoc: Vietnam National Tourism Administration requests more information

Gần 300 khách Đài Loan bị bỏ rơi ở Phú Quốc làm thủ tục bay về nhà vào ngày 14-2 - Ảnh: H.DUNG — Nearly 300 Taiwanese tourists abandoned in Phu Quoc checked in to fly home on February 14 - Photo: H.DUNG

On February 28, the Kien Giang Department of Tourism said that the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism had sent a document requesting the Kien Giang Department of Tourism to provide additional information related to the case of nearly 300 Taiwanese tourists being abandoned in Phu Quoc from February 10 to 14 (ie the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin in 2024).

Providing this information is expected to help the Vietnam National Tourism Administration work with representatives of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Taiwan) in Hanoi in the near future.

Additional information to be provided includes: cooperation contract between We Love Tour Company and Vietnamese units and related documents (for the above group of 292 Taiwanese tourists); actual costs from Vietnamese enterprises that supported the above group and proposals and recommendations from service providers.

"The Department has received a document from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and has also worked with Winner Company to collect more information related to the incident of nearly 300 Taiwanese tourists being abandoned.

Once we have complete information, the department will send it to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration," said Mr. Bui Quoc Thai - Director of Kien Giang Tourism Department.

Kien Giang Department of Tourism added that regarding nearly 300 Taiwanese tourists abandoned in Phu Quoc, the verification unit found that Winner Company had violated general tourism business activities by "not promptly notifying competent state agencies when discovering accidents or risks, incidents occurring to tourists" and violating regulations in travel service business activities by "not having a travel contract with businesses, tourists or representatives of tourists as prescribed".

300 tourists abandoned in Phu Quoc

As reported by Tuoi Tre Online , the group of nearly 300 Taiwanese tourists had previously booked tour packages with We Love Tour Company based in Taipei (Taiwan).

On February 9, the above group of tourists arrived in Phu Quoc without a shuttle bus, no hotel to stay, and no tour guide.

We Love Tour Company contacted Vietnam International Travel Company Limited in Phu Quoc (Winner Company) to serve the above group of guests. Winner Company accepted and rented a shuttle bus and booked hotel rooms for the guests.

Mr. Ha Tuan Minh - Chairman and Director of Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited in Phu Quoc - said that on September 12, 2023, Winner Company had a record confirming the contract with We Love Tour Company based in Taipei (Taiwan).

On January 24, Winner Company sent 10 price quotations to 10 groups of tourists to We Love Tour Company. Because the two companies could not reach an agreement, on January 31, Winner Company unilaterally sent a notice of service suspension to We Love Tour Company (attached Chinese version).

"Nearly 300 Taiwanese tourists abandoned in Phu Quoc are humanitarian support companies. The amount of about 3.5 billion VND that the unit supported for the Taiwanese group above has not yet been refunded. The group of 292 Taiwanese tourists that we supported has nothing to do with the 10 Taiwanese groups that the company sent quotes to We Love Tour Company on September 12, 2023," Mr. Minh emphasized.

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