Stranded Taiwanese tourist incident could affect Vietnam's reputation

The group of tourists which booked a four-day tour to the island through Taipei-based We Love Tour company were left abandoned on Feb. 9 after arriving at Phu Quoc International Airport due to a payment dispute between the Taiwanese company and local partner Winner International Travel Company.

The visitors flew in by charter flight on Feb. 9. When they arrived at Phu Quoc International Airport, there were no vehicles or hotels waiting for them, as We Love Tour had not paid the Vietnamese company in full and the two did not sign a final contract.

After Phu Quoc authorities and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office stepped in, the Taiwanese company was ordered to make full payment by Feb. 26 and the Vietnamese company was told to continue hosting the tourists.

Pham Hai Quynh, director of the Institute of Asian Tourism Development, told VnExpress the incident could "reduce trust" of tourists and international travel companies towards the Vietnamese tourism industry.

Quynh said that when both had not reached an agreement, the Vietnamese unit was "not wrong" to refuse accepting the tourists.

Its "humanitarian assistance" to the 292 abandoned tourists on the night of Feb. 9 "was a remarkable act but wrong in principle because there was no final travel contract," he added.

Although acknowledging the Vietnamese company’s efforts, Quynh commented that its handling "was inappropriate and unaware of the seriousness of international cooperation and national tourism image."

The tour operator should have notified Vietnamese and Taiwanese tourism authorities as soon as the incident occurred, Quynh added.

Nguyen Tien Dat, vice president of Hanoi's Tourism Club, said when buying a tour, most tourists pay in full before the departure date and they are not responsible for paying additional money to any unit during the trip.

Dat was referring to how the tourists were asked to pay additional US$720 to the Vietnamese travel agency.

Hoang Tuan Minh, director of Winner Vietnam, said he would not have provided assistance if he knew the incident could go that far.

Minh said he has spent more than VND3 billion to support the tourists and didn't know when he would get his money back from the Taiwanese agency.

The Tourism Department of Kien Giang Province, home to Phu Quoc, is considering slapping fines on Winner International Travel Company for "violating regulations when providing travel services."

Paul, living in Taipei, one of the stranded tourists in Phu Quoc, told VnExpress that Winner did not make things difficult for him during the journey.

On the second day in Phu Quoc, when receiving a request to pay an additional $720 per guest, he and other members refused because they had already paid enough for the Taiwanese tour operator.

However, he said the Vietnamese agency still treated them as members who had paid the extra money.

According to Paul, the Taiwanese travel company deceived customers about the travel schedule in Phu Quoc. Before the trip, they did not inform the groups about the risk of being refused service by the Vietnamese tour company.

When they arrived at Phu Quoc Airport, there were no vehicles or hotels waiting for them.

After Phu Quoc authorities and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office stepped in, the Taiwanese company was ordered to make full payment by Feb. 26 and the Vietnamese company was told to continue hosting the tourists.

They returned home on Feb. 14 as scheduled.

Following the incident, experts advised Vietnamese tour companies of the need to build professional processes, including establishing contracts, communication channels with partners, cooperating with authorities and controlling risks so as not to put themselves in a passive position.