Verification results of information about nearly 300 abandoned guests in Phu Quoc

According to the verification results, on September 12, 2023, Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited, headquartered in Phu Quoc City, Kien Giang Province, had a Contract Confirmation Minutes with We Love Tour Company, headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan (China).

On January 24, 2024, Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited sent 10 price quotes to 10 groups of guests to We Love Tour Company. However, because the two companies did not agree on the agreement, on January 31, 2024, Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited unilaterally sent a notice to stop providing services to We Love Tour Company, without confirmation or response from We Love Tour Company.

On February 9, 2024, a group of guests from We Love Tour arrived at Phu Quoc International Airport. There, the group had no car or tour guide. We Love Tour contacted Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited to serve a group of 292 guests participating in a tour program in Phu Quoc. Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited negotiated with We Love Tour Company and contacted to rent a car to pick up and book a hotel room for the group.

During the service of the group, because We Love Tour Company did not pay as agreed, Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited requested the group to pay an additional amount of 720 USD/person (equivalent to 22,680 NTD/person) and contacted We Love Tour Company to negotiate. We Love Tour Company responded that it would notify the tourists to pay and keep the invoice. We Love Tour Company would refund the cost of the tourists' card payment of 720 USD/person. Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited reached an agreement with 90 guests and received card payments of about 1.8 million NTD (equivalent to 1,442,000,000 VND). The remaining guests did not agree.

“Although Winner Vietnam International Travel Company Limited has unilaterally announced the termination of the contract, it still retains the previous deposit of NT$700,000, received on January 18, 2024. At the same time, it continues to serve the group of tourists and collect service fees. This shows that the Company has violated regulations when doing travel services: “There is no travel contract with the business, tourists or representatives of tourists as prescribed,” the report of Kien Giang Department of Tourism stated.

Also according to Kien Giang Department of Tourism, based on legal regulations, Kien Giang Department of Tourism Inspectorate reviewed the violation and proceeded to handle administrative violations against Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited for the act of doing business in travel services: "No travel contract with businesses, tourists or representatives of tourists as prescribed".

At the same time, the Kien Giang Department of Tourism assigned the Department Inspectorate to continue collecting information and evidence to clarify issues related to the responsibilities of Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited and We Love Tour Company, leading to violations of tourists' rights, affecting the rights of tourists and the image of Phu Quoc tourism, Kien Giang in particular and Vietnam tourism in general.

Previously, on the Fucus Taiwan page of Taiwan (China) posted information with the content "Support Taiwanese tourists stranded in Vietnam".

According to the article, the group of guests booked tour packages with We Love Tour Company. When the group arrived in Phu Quoc, they were received by a local travel company, Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited. Upon receiving the group, Vietnam Winner International Travel Company Limited informed each individual that they would have to pay an additional 720 USD/person to continue providing tourism services or would stop providing services according to the guests' requests. This request was met with resistance from the guests in the group and was reflected on social networks.

The above incident was reported on many domestic and foreign media. In order to maintain a healthy and attractive local tourism business environment, and to ensure the interests of all parties in tourism activities, the Verification Team of the Kien Giang Department of Tourism has clarified the above contents. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism also sent a document to the Kien Giang Department of Tourism requesting clarification of the above information.

Source