All kinds of street vendors
The clip recorded the scene of a woman selling apples on a bicycle on Thuy Khue Street, Buoi Ward, Tay Ho District, Hanoi recently inviting two foreign tourists to try apples and then "overcharging" them, making many people angry. After trying them, the customer wanted to buy them, so the seller took a small bag of apples and charged 200,000 VND. However, the customer did not agree with this price, so he continuously refused and asked for his money back, but the seller refused to pay. After a while, a young man working as a security guard nearby "rescued" him, saying that the number of apples was too small compared to the amount of money and it was necessary to return the money to the customer.
The People's Committee of Buoi Ward got involved and because the money had been returned, they decided to administratively fine the street vendor 150,000 VND.
Small bag of apples for 200,000 VND is causing outrage
Hoi An has long been praised by international tourists as the safest place in Vietnam, but it has not escaped the "whirlwind" of annoying street vendors. Street vendors have appeared at the Japanese Covered Bridge, on the streets, following tourists to solicit their purchases. Most recently, tourists have complained to groups because street vendors on Le Loi Street have cursed them to "go away" and used obscene words. Hoi An authorities later confirmed that they had removed the potato chip stall because it was located in an unauthorized area.
If Hanoi is famous for its street fruit stalls or fruit-carrying bicycles that overcharge tourists, Ho Chi Minh City has been condemned for many years for its coconut vendors. Many men carry coconuts around tourist attractions such as the Reunification Palace, the park near Notre Dame Cathedral, the War Remnants Museum... to intercept tourists, let them try and force them to buy coconuts at 5-7 times the market price.
Last year, Ms. Becky Chan, a Taiwanese working in Ho Chi Minh City, went on a field trip to film a video warning about the "fraudulent" behavior of coconut sellers and shoe shiners in District 1. The video "exposed" the tricks of coconut carriers to lure customers into "traps", initially by making friends, then letting the carriers try and then forcing the price of 150,000 VND for a coconut, if the customer refused, the price was reduced to 50,000 VND.
Coconut 150,000 VND in District 1, in the distance is the scene of tourists having their shoes "stripped off" right on the road
She also filmed a scene where a foreign family had their shoes cleaned by a shoe shiner on the street without giving them a chance to refuse. The price for each pair of shoes after polishing was 350,000 VND, but the customers did not agree so the price was reduced to 50,000 VND. The family also said they bought 2 coconuts for 150,000 VND.
One-time visitors
On social media platforms, content related to street vendors ripping off tourists in Vietnam has appeared quite a lot. Most of them praise Vietnam’s beautiful landscapes, but the street vendors’ persistent harassment can make them never return.
Zak Cadogan, an American tourist living in Thailand, has just finished his journey across Vietnam. His feelings after the trip were a mixture of satisfaction and disappointment. The main reason for his disappointment was because the street vendors kept pestering him, and when he didn't buy anything, they blamed him and scolded him as a "bad person".
“In Hoi An and Sa Pa, people are pushing tourists with whatever they’re selling and constantly asking them to buy things, following them around for five to 10 minutes. It’s a really weird experience because you’re obviously constantly saying ‘No, no, no’ and it makes you feel bad for saying no to things you don’t even want,” he said.
Many street vendors follow tourist groups in Sa Pa
According to him, in Thailand, there is no such thing as soliciting sales. People also invite tourists to buy things, take taxis but do not bother or pressure tourists. And that is the wonderful thing that makes him and other international tourists love this destination and often come back.
Mr. Nguyen Van My, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lua Viet Tourism Company, said that street vendors are not at fault, but that allowing street vendors to go from a popular trading culture to a negative activity is the fault of the locality and the management agencies. "Street vendors ripping off tourists has been around for a long time in Vietnam, but we have not handled it properly. If any incident occurs, we just punish them and that's it. For example, street vendors occupy Nguyen Hue walking street, District 1, but after clearing it, they return to their original state," Mr. My said and emphasized that to give a prominent reason why international tourists rarely return to Vietnam, it is because street vendors cling to and rip them off.
As a person who directly guides tourists to many places, Mr. My said that from Ha Long to Da Lat, the floating markets in the West are filled with street vendors everywhere. Under the sea, on the river, whenever a large ship carrying passengers arrives, a small boat docks to sell. At Cai Rang floating market, street vendors are a lovely cultural feature, but gradually lose their essence when sellers can sell at different prices, high prices early in the morning, and low prices near noon when customers return. Buyers, after comparing prices, may feel like they have been cheated.
Street vendors follow tourists on Ha Long Bay
"Recently, there have been too many incidents involving street vendors overcharging tourists, which have been reported by tourists on social media, negatively affecting the image of the destination that we have worked hard to build, contributing to reducing competitiveness. That has forced tourism management agencies to find ways to coordinate with functional agencies to effectively manage street vendors to bring them into order as neighboring countries are doing," Mr. My added.
Mr. My said that all countries have street vendors, but the way they manage them has limited solicitation and overcharging to the maximum. For example, street vendors in Angkor, Cambodia, if invited by tour guides or drivers to get on the bus to sell to tourists, they do not dare, fearing fines, because they are limited to their own street vendor area with only fear of ropes strung on the ground.
Source link
Comment (0)