VietNamNet Bridge - Two foreign tourists who complainedabout the noise caused by a nearby construction site, asked for their money back and then said they were assaulted and insulted by a staff of the hotel in Da Nang.

Anh Nguyet Hotel, where the incident was reported.

A foreign tourist named Katelyn Scanlan reported her case on the Facebook page of “Da Nang urban management”.

According to Katelyn Scanlan, she and her boyfriend booked a room at the Moonshine Beach Hostel (Anh Nguyet Hotel, 39 Ha Bong Street, Son Tra District, Da Nang) through an online website. They paid the rent in advance through online booking site. They did not know about the nearby construction site.

Below is Scanlan’s story:

“We booked through Hostelworld and nothing on their page said anything about nearby construction. If the hotel/hostel had mentioned it, we would have booked elsewhere.) We arrived in the evening and heard that it was very noisy.

The staff apologizes and says it will not be a problem and will stop. It stops around 9 pm, but starts again promptly at 7 am - right next to the wall of our room! Very upset that we did not get a good night's sleep (which is why you go to a hotel - to sleep).

We went to reception and asked for a refund. We felt as though we had been lied to because the hotel did not warn us beforehand - the construction made it impossible for us to get the sleep we needed. We made it clear to the receptionist that we know it is not her fault, but since she is a representative of the hotel, she has to make it right because her boss is 'out of the country".

After half an hour of the receptionist politely telling us she could not refund us and did not have any cash on the premises, we call her boss (the hotel hotline). He answers (because he is not abroad as she said). After hanging up on us several times, the boss finally allows the refund and calls the receptionist that she is to give us a refund. Suddenly, she has the money ready and is about to give it to us. Her brother comes to the desk and talks to her for a bit. I assume she is explaining the situation. I insist she give us the money owed. She does so, we thank her, and go upstairs to our room to have a shower and pack. This negotiation ended around 8:15.

At 8:30, someone violently bangs on our door. It is the brother, who demanded to know why we were still in 'his' hotel and 'to get the fuck out' because he refunded our money. My boyfriend, (who has opened the door because I am in a towel from a recent shower), calmly explains that their hotel's policy is that check out is at noon, but we wish to clean up and leave as fast as possible.

He tells us, 'No, fuck you, check out is now, get the fuck out of my hotel' and attempts to push in the door and forcibly remove us - with one hand on the door and the other hand around my boyfriend’s neck. My boyfriend braces the door with his foot and with one free hand pins the assailant's arm against the door. My boyfriend tells him there is no need for violence and asks him to back off. He continued to shout at us 'get the fuck out' and push his way in; only upon realizing that he could not forcibly enter the room, he left. We pack as quickly as possible.

When we return downstairs to reception with our things, I ask for my passport. The brother sends his sister (a clear employee with uniform and name tag) to check the room because he's certain we've broken or stolen something. We ask him again why he is so angry and why he must resort to violence. I remind him that he assaulted my boyfriend. His response? 'Oh, have you got any marks? Too bad! Don't bother calling the police. I know you people. You are backpackers - all you want to do is steal money from people like us.'

I get my passport and we left immediately. Future visitors to Da Nang - do not patronize Moonshine Hostel. There's a place called Funtastic nearby. Go there instead. This man at Moonshine is dangerous. Please be safe.”

Shortly after the tourist shared her story on the Facebook page "Da Nang Urban Management," some people told her to call the hotline number of the Da Nang government.

Mr. Tran Chi Cuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, Tourism of Danang, said the agency had immediately contacted Scanlan on March 8 evening to get information about the incident. The next day the local authorities met with the hotel’s manager.

Cuong said the hotel manager insisted that the hotel staff did not do anything wrong such as  assaulting the guest and that the complaint was untrue.

"We met with both sides and we have not had a final conclusion on the matter. Because the hotel does not have surveillance cameras we could not see what really happened. We will have the conclusion early and will widely publicizeit," Cuong said.

In the eyes of local and international tourists, Da Nang is one of the friendliest and livable cities in Vietnam.

Tri Thuc Tre