EUtourist received more than 1.2 billion VND from customers and… disappeared

Accordingly, a few weeks ago, a delegation of 64 people from the Ho Chi Minh City Printing Association decided to book a package tour to visit the All in Print China 2023 Exhibition (a professional international exhibition on printing technology and equipment) in Shanghai, China.

Mr. Nguyen Thai Linh, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Printing Association, head of this tour group, said that the association has coordinated with ePP Company (a member of the Ho Chi Minh City Printing Association) to promote professional activities and support members on the tour, expected to last 5 days and 4 nights, departing early in the morning of October 31 and returning to Ho Chi Minh City on the morning of November 4.

“On the morning of October 30, when checking the documents to leave that night because long-distance flights had to go to the airport to check in early, ePP Company discovered that the EUtourist leader had fled. After considering many options, we were forced to cancel the trip,” said Mr. Nguyen Thai Linh.

Customers cannot ask for information or book tours via text message on the EUtourist website on the afternoon of November 2. Photo: HOANG HUNG

Through the investigation of SGGP Newspaper reporters, EUtourist was granted a business registration license by the Department of Planning and Investment of Ho Chi Minh City in mid-July 2022, located at 2 Hoa Phuong, Ward 2, Phu Nhuan District. The director and owner of the company is Mr. Ho Ngoc Tin, 30 years old, phone number 0977796665, residing in Hoang Mai District, Hanoi City. On the website www.eutourist.vn , this company lists its address at 5 Cuu Long, Ward 2, Tan Binh District.

However, according to the reporter's actual records on the same afternoon, the above addresses were all incorrect. Specifically, at 2 Hoa Phuong, there is currently the headquarters of Viet Luat Investment Promotion Consulting Company. Inside this company, there are nearly 100 small signs, the size of school notebooks, with the names of many real estate, law, tourism businesses... but there is absolutely no name EUtourist.

According to a receptionist at the headquarters at 2 Hoa Phuong, this is a “virtual office”, providing the building address for businesses that need to rent an address for transactions.

Although it was during working hours, EUtourist left the door. Photo taken on the afternoon of November 2. Photo: GIA HAN

Similarly, 5 Cuu Long is also a “virtual office”, with the ground floor used for coffee shops, restaurants, etc., which is not the headquarters of EUtourist Company. To be sure, the reporter continued to explore along Cuu Long Street and discovered a small house with the words “EUtourist” hidden under the green trees at 37 Cuu Long.

Although it was business hours, house number 37 Cuu Long was locked and dark inside. A resident living nearby said that the business had been closed for nearly a month and all the furniture and machinery had been moved out. “For about a week now, some people have been coming to the company to ask for money, their faces were distraught. When asked, it was said that some people lost tens of millions, some groups lost up to hundreds of millions of dong,” said the resident living next to this house.

Currently, the hotline 0977796665 (which is also the number Mr. Tin registered on the business license) of the website www.eutourist.vn cannot be contacted. Automatic booking messages also state “no Internet connection” even though the Internet connection is still normal.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Minh Ly, Chief Inspector of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said that the case has been received and is being investigated and handled according to legal regulations.

In her initial assessment of the above-mentioned case of fraud and property appropriation, Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh, Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, said that she felt sad about this information. At the same time, she advised people and businesses to carefully research the information of the travel agency, its history of operations, etc. before booking a tour.

Number 5 Cuu Long is just a "virtual office" building, below is a coffee shop. Photo taken on the afternoon of November 2. Photo: GIA HAN

SGGP newspaper once reported in detail the case of TST Tourist Travel Company, indignantly reporting that EUtourist Company copied the brand identity as well as the website interface, causing confusion for consumers. If you glance at the main color, layout, information reference, tour booking and online payment, customers can easily mistake this as a subsidiary of TST Tourist.

When reflecting on the brand ambiguity, Mr. Nguyen Minh Man, Director of Communications - Marketing of TST Tourist said: "The title of Travel Company specializing in European tours was born from the award of Most Favorite Vietnamese Brand organized and presented by SGGP Newspaper. The European market is the main market of TST Tourist. Therefore, any act of intentionally copying the brand, causing confusion for consumers like EUtourist is unacceptable and we will go to the end of this case".

Address No. 2 Hoa Phuong (Phu Nhuan District) is actually the building of Viet Luat Investment Promotion Consulting Company. Photo taken on the afternoon of November 2. Photo: GIA HAN

Currently, the authorities are investigating and clarifying the incident. However, this is also a lesson for all those who have been planning to book tours for domestic and international trips, before deciding to make a deposit. According to a tourism official, the number of companies changing their names, setting up "ghost" addresses to defraud consumers as well as bypassing the authorities is increasing. Not to mention, the number of frauds and property appropriations in tourism activities is increasing, but the number of cases where victims have their deposits refunded is very rare.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/eutourist-nhan-hon-12-ty-dong-cua-khach-va-bien-mat-post712532.html