VietNamNet Bridge – On July 20 the Department of Tourism of Da Nang imposed administrative sanctions on and recommended to the Da Nang People's Committee Chairman to expel four Chinese who had illegally worked in the city, said the department’s deputy chief Tran Chi Cuong.

A Chinese guide (middle) in Da Nang.

On July 14, inspectors of the Da Nang Tourism Department suddenly inspected the office of Nature Love, a travel company in Son Tra district, where they saw the presence of five Chinese nationals.

The Director of Natura Love and Vietnamese staff admitted that these were Chinese tour guides, who worked for this travel firm without work permits.

The Da Nang Tourism Department has imposed VND12.5 million ($600) fines on Nature Love. This company’s licence will be revoked for 24 months. The company’s legal representative will be also punished for the acts of letting foreigners use the firm’s legal status to operate illegally.

The five Chinese workers also had to pay fines totaling VND94.4 million ($4,500) and four of them will be expelled.

The Da Nang Tourism Department has also decided to fine Lead Step travel firm in Cam Le district for using guides for Chinese visitors who did not have a guide card.

According to the city’s tourism department, at least 60 Chinese guides were working illegally in the city, and most of the Chinese travel agencies handling Chinese tour groups disguised operations with a Vietnamese licence, as directed by Chinese managers.

Last month, the city’s tourism department revoked the business licence of a local travel agency for nine months, after one of its Chinese tourists burnt Vietnamese money in a downtown bar in the city.

The central city hosted 600,000 Chinese tourists in the first half this year, an 83 per cent increase in comparison with last year. Chinese tourists comprised a quarter of all tourists visiting the city.

The city’s Party Secretary Nguyen Xuan Anh said the city did not discriminate Chinese tourists from other foreign tourists, but the city would fine visitors who violated the law or committed any wrongdoing.

The city plans to establish a tourism police force as a pilot project to boost security for tourists and the tourism sector in the 2016-2020 period. 

Pha Le