Vietnam - Solution for scams in Vung Tau?

After an article on daylight robbers preying on tourists in Vung Tau, many readers have sent us comments showing their resentment for the ubiquitous scams occurring in the tourist city. 

Besides showing sympathy or sharing their experiences of being overcharged, some have given tips and suggestions so that visitors to Vung Tau can prevent themselves from falling victim to greedy sellers’ traps.

“I have four tips to avoid getting ripped-off in Vung Tau. 1. Do not go to restaurants where brokers take you. 2. Avoid places advertised as ‘cheap’ on flyers distributed in the street. 3. Do not eat at places near the beach. 4. Go to restaurants in the city, where there are a lot of customers,” suggested Thanh Son.

To prevent tourists from being lured by brokers and illegal businesses, Phuoc Hai proposes that the city introduce an operator system which gives directions to visitors on where to eat or stay:

“Tourism sectors should announce an operator system where tourists can call anumber and retrieve addresses of reliable restaurants and hotels in both Vietnamese and English. This is a win-win situation as tourists can feel safe while picking a place to go while reliable businesses can also advertise themselves.”

Besides tips enabling tourists to avoid scams, the majority of feedback questioned the role of administrators in eliminating untrustworthy businesses in the city.

“After reading the story, I feel sad and ashamed in front of my foreign friends who are working and living in Vietnam. We planned to make a road trip through Vietnam and may stop in Vung Tau. However, my friends have scrapped the plan after reading the article. I wonder why the authorities, i.e the department of market control, department of industry and trade, department of culture, sports and tourism do not get involved in terminating the problem,” shared Truong Van Cuong.

It is crucial that the government and local authorities implement new policies and employ heavier penalties to violators so that the ‘daylight robbers’ will not be tempted to swindle tourists a second time. Reader Duong Van Ngoc analyzes the current situation and suggests a tougher punishment for restaurants:

“This situation has persisted for a long time. Restaurants are willing to pay the fine of a few million dong. If their operation license is taken away, they will use someone else’s name to open a new one. We need to be more determined to resolve the issue. Each restaurant needs to have a certified price range for food and drinks approved by local authorities. When a dispute over price arises, it will be used as proof to judge if that restaurantviolates the law. We need heavier penalties on such restaurants and need to close down businesses that have been penalized twice.”

Another Vung Tau reader thinks that penalties should not only applied to dishonest businesses but also governmental officers who do not fulfill their duties.

“I feel ashamed every time I read about rip-offs in Vung Tau. Actually, the problem is the poor management by the authorities of Vung Tau city and Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. Higher levels of the governmental system should take action to improve the situation. For example, discipline a head at a ward’s people committee if the scams persist in his ward. Sack the city’s People Committee head if the problem continues to persist,” he wrote.

Locals have raised their voice and given suggestions for the situation in Vung Tau.. What measures will the authorities take to eliminate the daylight robbery of customers by eateries in Vung Tau and bring tourists back to the beach city? We are looking forward to actions, not just promises.

TUOITRENEWS

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