Beautify Ho Chi Minh City tourism image

Following the incident where popular streamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed ​​was overcharged on Nguyen Hue pedestrian street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, while livestreaming, many experts believe the tourism industry needs strong measures to prevent street vendors from harassing and overcharging tourists.

The destination's image is tarnished.

On September 19th, according to observations by 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 persistently approaching and soliciting tourists, especially international tour groups, was quite common.

Nearly a week ago, a video went viral on social media showing the popular YouTuber IShowSpeed ​​visiting downtown Ho Chi Minh City but having to rent a self-balancing skateboard for 1 million VND. Notably, the livestream on the IShowSpeed ​​YouTube channel attracted millions of views and over 4,100 comments. Among them were comments expressing shame at the sight of international tourists 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 catering to tourists. Every morning, when cars arrive to pick up tourists for sightseeing, many street vendors are waiting to offer their goods.

"The quality of the product is not yet under discussion, but many tourists feel bothered. Even in the city center, there are some vendors selling fresh coconuts and hawking their wares to tourists for many years, and the prices are not controlled," Mr. An expressed his concern.

According to Mr. Nguyen Tran Hoang Phuong, Deputy Director of the Institute for Tourism and Social Research, the practice of overcharging tourists still occurs in some countries such as Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. However, the way the tourism industry handles it in these destinations is very different. For example, in Thailand, if any place is found to be overcharging or price gouging 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 things on an incidental basis; when an incident occurs, we summon the offending individual for administrative processing or 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 overcharging, everyone needs to get involved," Mr. Phuong analyzed.

Tourists enjoy the cool, peaceful atmosphere on a double-decker cruise ship in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: HOANG TRIEU

Strengthen inspections and take strong action.

Mr. Pham Quy Huy, Director of Kiwi Travel Company, said that he used to lead tour 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 advice is that if they are overcharged, harassed, or encounter any problems, tourists will know how to handle them. However, the downside of this is that it creates a negative image of the destination in the eyes of tourists.

"The incident of the famous streamer being overcharged on Nguyen Hue pedestrian street happened while he was livestreaming with millions of viewers. But when he received apologies from those who overcharged him, few people knew about it. Therefore, a thorough solution is needed to address this situation, especially with the peak season for international tourists approaching," Mr. Huy suggested.

According to a leader of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in recent times, the handling of price gouging and disorderly street vending has been a focus of coordinated efforts by relevant agencies and units. For example, since the second quarter of 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has proactively coordinated with the City Police, the Culture and Information Departments of Districts 1 and 3, the District Police, and the Youth Volunteer Force to establish a task force to address the issue of price gouging and disorderly street vending.

Specialized agencies have investigated, reviewed, and compiled a list of individuals operating in occupations prone to complex situations – such as unlicensed taxi services, cyclo-rickshaws, coconut vendors, and street vendors – in the area. Simultaneously, they have issued warnings and required them to commit to not soliciting customers; and to comply with regulations on public security and urban order. Law enforcement also regularly conducts patrols to detect individuals gathering to sell goods illegally in key areas, public spaces, and tourist attractions.

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 letters to tourism businesses, accommodation establishments, restaurants, and shopping establishments to implement solutions to improve service quality and prevent price gouging and unfair pricing practices.

"We encourage tourism companies, accommodation establishments, and organizations managing tourist attractions to build professional, self-managed security teams to coordinate with functional forces to promptly support and protect tourists, especially foreigners. We also encourage the community and tourists to cooperate actively with state agencies when they are overcharged; providing evidence and images… to ensure that the right people are punished for the right actions," Mr. Hoa emphasized.

Increased patrols at over 30 tourist destinations.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism is coordinating with and guiding the tourist protection force of the Youth Volunteer Public Service Company to strengthen patrols and checkpoints at more than 30 key tourist destinations. This force will be vigilant, detect and report to the police any suspicious individuals or criminal activities; promptly prevent instances of harassment and persistent soliciting of tourists; and cooperate in handling cases of price gouging targeting tourists.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/lam-dep-hinh-anh-du-lich-tp-hcm-19624091922004658.htm