Damage to tourism image
In late December 2024, clips appeared on some tour guide groups recording incidents of Chinese tourists being solicited and charged money to sit and relax on the beach. Even images of a group of people aggressively demanding money in Nha Trang were spread on social networking sites in China, affecting the number of tourists coming to Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa.
Receiving information about the incident, the leaders of the Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa Tourism Association assessed that the behavior of the above group of subjects showed signs of violating the law, creating a bad image for Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa tourism, affecting the insecurity and safety of international tourists.
According to a quick report from the police, the incident occurred at around 7:00 p.m. on December 29 at the beach of Loc Tho ward. A group of about 5 Chinese tourists were sitting on 3 chairs in this area. About 15 minutes later, when the group was about to leave, Phan Ngoc Hai (born in 1998, residing in Dien Tan commune, Dien Khanh district) came and asked for 200,000 VND for "seat rental service". The group of tourists did not agree to pay and left. Hai said he worked for Mr. Tran Thien Thao (born in 1975, residing in Vinh Thanh ward, Nha Trang city) to open a service to rent floats, umbrellas, and lounge chairs. Mr. Thao rented this area from Sailing Club Nha Trang Restaurant.
The above images were shared online and immediately received many reactions from the public. The majority of tourists expressed disappointment because the behavior of soliciting customers was very offensive.
General review of coastal business activities
Mr. Luu Thanh Nhan - Vice Chairman of Nha Trang City People's Committee assessed that the current situation of soliciting tourists is a hot issue that the locality is very concerned about. For example, the incident of some people claiming to manage Nha Trang beach and collecting fees from tourists, the police have invited the people involved to work. Currently, the Youth Union has increased inspection of activities along the Nha Trang coast.
According to Mr. Nhan, in reality, there is still a situation where hotels along the beach are allowed to put up chairs, even for vacation. Then, they rent them out to another party for business purposes. Nha Trang City has identified this and assigned the Public Service Management Board to review and change the management method.
“It cannot happen like the old situation. A man who has the conditions to stay in a hotel is allowed to book an umbrella. Then he rents it out and gets the difference. That is unreasonable. The city leaders have seen this and will have directions and handling in the near future,” said Mr. Luu Thanh Nhan.
Meanwhile, Nha Trang City Chairman Tran Minh Chien recently directed relevant units to review all tourism service businesses on the beach east of Tran Phu Street. Initially, the city requires tourism service businesses on the beach to ensure that they post notice boards in their business areas, list service prices, and display them in multiple languages.
