Since the incident of famous streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed being "ripped off" right on Nguyen Hue walking street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City during a livestream, many experts have said that the tourism industry needs strong solutions to prevent street vendors from soliciting and overcharging tourists.
Ugly destination image
On September 19, according to a reporter from Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, in the central area of Ho Chi Minh City and in front of some 5-star hotels, the situation of street vendors following and soliciting tourists, especially international groups, is quite common.
Nearly a week ago, a clip went viral on social media about a famous YouTuber, IShowSpeed, visiting the center of Ho Chi Minh City but having to rent a skateboard for 1 million VND. Notably, the livestream on the IShowSpeed YouTube channel attracted millions of views with more than 4,100 comments. Among them, there were comments about feeling ashamed of the image of international visitors being "ripped off" right in the city center.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc An, Deputy General Director of Vietluxtour Travel Company, said that near his company there are several routes with many hotels welcoming tourists. Every morning, when cars arrive to pick up tourists for sightseeing, many street vendors are waiting to offer their services.
"The quality of the product is not discussed, but many tourists feel bothered. Even in the city center, there are some people selling fresh coconuts and street vendors inviting customers for many years, but the prices are not controlled," Mr. An wondered.
According to Mr. Nguyen Tran Hoang Phuong, Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism and Social Research, the situation of "ripping off" tourists still occurs in some countries such as Thailand, Japan, Korea, etc. However, the way the tourism industry handles it in these destinations is very different. For example, in Thailand, if a place is discovered to be "ripping off" or raising prices for tourists, the entire tourism community will boycott it; restaurants, eateries or even street vendors will "no longer have the opportunity to repeat the offense".
"We mainly handle cases by case. When an incident occurs, we invite the violator to administratively handle it or give a warning, and then everything goes back to normal. To protect the image and brand of Vietnamese tourism from ugly behaviors such as price gouging and "rip-offs", everyone needs to get involved," Mr. Phuong analyzed.
Tourists enjoy the cool, quiet space on a double-decker cruise ship in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: HOANG TRIEU
Strengthen inspection and strong handling
Mr. Pham Quy Huy, Director of Kiwi Travel Company, said that he used to lead tourist groups and often advised tourists to be careful, pay attention to their belongings when going out, and avoid trouble with street vendors... The purpose of the travel company's warning is that if there is a case of being "ripped off", solicited or having an incident, tourists will know how to handle it. However, the downside of this is creating an ugly image of the destination in the eyes of tourists.
"The incident of a famous streamer being "ripped off" on Nguyen Hue walking street happened when he was livestreaming with millions of followers. But when he accepted the apology from those who "ripped off" him, few people knew. Therefore, a radical solution is needed to handle this situation, especially when the peak season for welcoming international visitors is coming" - Mr. Huy proposed.
According to a leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in recent times, the handling of price gouging and street vending causing disorder has been of interest to relevant authorities and units. For example, from the second quarter of 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has proactively coordinated with the City Police, the Department of Culture and Information of Districts 1 and 3; the District Police of Districts 1 and 3; and the Youth Union to establish a working group to carry out a special topic on handling the situation of "overcharging" and street vending causing disorder.
Specialized agencies have investigated, reviewed, and compiled a list of subjects operating in industries that are prone to complicated situations - such as illegal car driving, cyclo driving, coconut trading and street vendors - in the area. At the same time, they have compiled a record of reminders, requiring them to commit to not soliciting customers; comply with regulations on security, order and urban order. The functional forces also regularly coordinate patrols to detect subjects gathering to sell street goods in key areas, public areas, tourist attractions, etc.
Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said that the department will continue to coordinate with relevant agencies and units to notify, remind, and send official dispatches to businesses, tourist accommodation establishments, dining and shopping establishments to implement solutions to improve service quality, prevent price increases and price gouging...
"Encourage travel companies, accommodation establishments, and units that organize and manage tourist attractions to build professional, self-managed security teams to coordinate with authorities to promptly support and protect tourists, especially foreigners. Coordinate and mobilize the community and tourists to actively cooperate with state agencies when they are "ripped off"; provide evidence, images, etc. to handle the right people and the right behavior" - Mr. Hoa emphasized.
Increased patrols at more than 30 tourist spots
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism is coordinating and instructing the tourist protection force of the Youth Volunteer Service Company to increase patrols and checkpoints at more than 30 key tourist destinations. This force will be vigilant, detect and notify the police of suspicious subjects and criminal acts; promptly prevent cases of solicitation and stalking of tourists; and coordinate in handling cases of "ripping off" tourists.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/lam-dep-hinh-anh-du-lich-tp-hcm-19624091922004658.htm
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