Right under the controversial article "A simple meal for 400,000 VND in Ha Long" published in Dan Tri newspaper on July 2, reflecting on a meal costing more than 400,000 VND with a simple dish of fried eggs, fried meat, crab soup and pickled eggplant, many readers left heated comments.
Public opinion is divided into many streams of opinion, clearly showing the differences in people's views and expectations when traveling .
A meal costing over 400,000 VND at a restaurant in Ha Long is causing controversy (Photo: Character provided).
Some "accept high prices", others are upset and call for a boycott.
Many readers said that expensive food at tourist destinations is not unusual. Some defended the restaurant, saying that the price of 400,000 VND is normal, considering the cost of premises, labor and business location.
"400,000 VND, I don't think it's high because it's in a tourist area so the cost is extremely high. Renting a space here is already tens of millions of VND/month," commented DXT account.
"If I cook at home, it would cost 200,000 VND, not including labor," reader KN commented.
A woman also shared her shopping experience, saying that meat in the market costs around 70,000-80,000 VND/kg. Meanwhile, Ha Long Xanh restaurant in particular and restaurants at tourist destinations in general still have to invest in infrastructure, so the price of food can be a little higher.
"The restaurant also invests in infrastructure, rents space, electricity and water... The price of the tourist area is not expensive," Ms. Vu Thi Hong shared.
Some people also cite the theory of costs in the food industry that, for popular restaurants, the cost of ingredients often accounts for 50-70% of the selling price, so we cannot expect prices to be "as cheap as home-cooked meals".
However, most readers think that this price is too high compared to the quality of the food, and criticize the tourism style of not being transparent in listing prices.
Some people even question the fact that the restaurant does not use electronic invoices but instead uses handwritten invoices, claiming that this is a way to "avoid taxes".
"The total cost was probably only 100,000 VND," account Dung Ngo commented on the 400,000 VND meal at Ha Long Xanh restaurant.
Many people are unhappy that the above restaurant still uses handwritten invoices instead of electronic invoices (Photo: Character provided).
An account named LT left a comment: "If you put up a cheap sign, you have to sell at a cheap price, don't make excuses that it's a tourist area and sell at an exorbitant price."
Many readers also emphasized that high prices must go hand in hand with quality. In this case, the dish was criticized for being cold, small, and not tasty. That is what makes the price of 400,000 VND for a meal unacceptable.
"In fact, in Bai Chay ( Quang Ninh ), Ha Long (Quang Ninh), food is more expensive than other places, but the problem is that the quality must be commensurate. These common dishes are too expensive and not fresh and delicious," commented a reader named Thai Binh.
Vietnam tourism needs to change the way it provides services?
Many people shared that they had encountered similar situations at other restaurants in other tourist destinations and were still upset. Some even declared that they would "avoid Ha Long" when planning to travel.
Reader Ngo Hong Hai said that he is a resident of Ha Long, but he is not too satisfied with tourism in this area. Besides, he also thinks that Ha Long is now somewhat polluted because of tourist waste.
Faced with unpredictable prices, some people suggest that if you want to travel, you should prepare your own food or choose reputable restaurants with good reviews on digital platforms.
Some people also think that tourists should eat the specialties of that region when they go to, as the prices will be "softer". "When you go to the beach, you should eat seafood, the prices will be more reasonable," reader Nguyen Van Lat commented.
Readers discuss enthusiastically about the "400,000 VND meal" incident (Photo: Screenshot).
From a seemingly small story, Dan Tri readers once again showed their great expectations for the quality of domestic tourism services. They do not demand unreasonably low prices, but rather expect transparency, quality worthy of the money, and more attentive service.
Not only did they discuss the "400,000 VND meal" at the restaurant in Ha Long, many readers also left comments and shared their unpleasant dining experiences while traveling.
"More than 20 years ago, I was charged 500,000 VND for a street food meal with fried mussel eggs and crab soup when I traveled from Ho Chi Minh City to Ba Ria - Vung Tau (now merged into Ho Chi Minh City - PV). At that time, 500,000 VND could buy a tael of gold. I still can't forget it," account TMT recounted the old story.
As the tourism industry struggles to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, every negative experience can have long-term consequences if not acknowledged and properly handled.
Many readers frankly said that if in Vietnam, cases of "price gouging", "price gouging", and ambiguous prices... really ended, the tourism industry would develop more and more.
Dan Tri Newspaper will continue to monitor responses from local authorities as well as public opinion surrounding this incident.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/com-binh-dan-400000-dong-o-ha-long-du-lich-nen-phai-chap-nhan-gia-cao-20250702200002038.htm
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