On July 11, VietNamNet reported on the experience of Vietnamese American Yen Nguyen Bruno Lerulli, who shared how her family’s Ha Long trip turned sour due to booking scams. She detailed their struggle to find the rented apartments and the subsequent demands to cancel bookings, which would have resulted in lost deposits.

In recent days, a Facebook account named Yen Nguyen Bruno Lerulli shared a detailed post about her unfortunate experience during a vacation in Ha Long, Quang Ninh Province. She warned others about the deceptive practices she encountered when booking accommodations.

Yen Nguyen Bruno Lerulli, along with her family of five, sought to rent a four-bedroom apartment in Ha Long for two nights. She initially booked a property through the website Booking.com for over 236 USD. However, upon arriving in Ha Long from Hanoi, they could not locate the apartment.

After contacting the rental service, she was informed that the apartment had been unavailable for weeks. The agent suggested an alternative two-bedroom apartment, which she declined. The rental service then asked her to cancel the booking, which would have resulted in a forfeiture of the prepaid amount.

Exhausted from the ordeal, Yen Nguyen Bruno Lerulli booked another apartment through Airbnb, paying over 167 USD for two nights. Unfortunately, she encountered the same issue and could not find the apartment’s address. Upon contacting the host, she was again told the apartment was unavailable and was asked to cancel the booking. Eventually, the host met with her in person and refunded the 167 USD, suggesting a different apartment in Hong Gai Ward, Ha Long City.

Yen Nguyen Bruno Lerulli agreed to rent a three-bedroom, sea-view apartment for 6.3 million VND (approximately 270 USD) for three days. After nearly 10 hours of frustration, her family moved into the new apartment, only to find it in a deplorable state. The apartment had a foul smell, and the floors and bedding had not been cleaned since the previous guests.

Despite her complaints, the rental agent dismissed her concerns, attributing the odor to seawater and ceased answering her calls after receiving the payment.

"Hopefully, other tourists won't face the same issues my family did in Ha Long and won't be scammed when booking accommodations here," Yen Nguyen Bruno Lerulli wrote in her post.

The People's Committee of Ha Long City immediately issued a directive following the article published by VietNamNet, emphasizing the need to investigate and address the situation promptly, as the incident has negatively impacted the reputation of Ha Long’s tourism sector.

From the beginning of 2024, Ha Long City has issued several directives to ensure a healthy business environment for tourism. However, recent complaints about tourists booking accommodations that do not meet the promised standards have raised concerns.

Many of these issues involve establishments that have not informed state management agencies of their operations, fail to meet technical and service standards, and consequently harm the quality and image of Ha Long’s tourism industry.

To address these issues, the People's Committee has tasked the Ha Long City Police Department with leading the investigation. They are to coordinate with relevant units to verify the complaints, take stringent actions against those involved, and report their findings by July 15.

The police are also to conduct unannounced inspections of temporary residence declarations to detect and prevent unauthorized lodging activities. Violations, especially those involving villa and apartment rentals, will face severe penalties, including business suspension.

The Department of Culture and Information of Ha Long City has been instructed to provide and widely publish a list of officially recognized lodging facilities. This information will be available to agencies, businesses, residents, and tourists to help them choose reliable services.

Local agencies have been directed to continue inspecting, cataloging, and updating a comprehensive list of all active lodging establishments. These details are to be submitted to the local Department of Culture and Information for proper management and oversight.

The Ha Long City Media and Cultural Center has been tasked with increasing the dissemination of information about the city's tourism activities and services. This includes advising tourists against using unlicensed or non-reputable services to avoid financial loss and protect the city's tourism image.

Pham Cong