Illegal Chinese tour guides take advantage of Khanh Hoa tourism boom

By Xuan Ngoc June 9, 2016 | 03:11 am PT

Khanh Hoa has been struggling to cope with the soaring number of Chinese tourists arriving this year, giving some the opportunity to stay on and work illegally as tour guides.

Cam Ranh Airport overloaded as Chinese tourists descend on Khanh Hoa

Chinese people have been arriving in Vietnam on tourist visas but then working illegally as tour guides, said Khanh Hoa’s Department of Tourism.

A Chinese man (white T-shirt) presents to guests in Nha Trang. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Ngoc

A Chinese man (white T-shirt) shows guests around Nha Trang. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Ngoc

According to a Vietnamese tour guide, her company prefers Chinese tour guides. The Vietnamese tour guides’ tasks are to escort the tourists to the attractions, buy tickets and translate for the Chinese guides for a daily fee of VND600,000.

Nguyen Van Thuong, another Vietnamese tour guide, added that these guides don’t have a good knowledge about Vietnam’s history and the attractions, so mistakes are common.

In the first five months of this year, 1.5 million tourists arrived in Khanh Hoa, with Chinese tour guides accounting for 175,000, up five times on-year, according to Khanh Hoa’s Department of Tourism.

The provincial People’s Committee has instructed the department to stop the illegal operation of Chinese tour guides.