Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has requested the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to investigate the disappearance of 152 Vietnamese in Taiwan and strictly punish anyone involved in the case.


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PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the  the cabinet meeting on December 27


The order was made at the cabinet meeting on Thursday where the prime minister urged the ministry to report on the incident within seven days.   

A representative from the ministry said that the ministry and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism had co-operated with HCM City and Hanoi to inspect travel firms related to the case.

The ministry has also worked with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vietnam on the case, including recommendations to the agency about ensuring the travel of Vietnamese visitors to Taiwan in the coming time.

Travel firms providing tours to Taiwan for Vietnamese would have to review their customers’ visa applications.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also proposed the Ministry of Public Security to investigate the case.

According to Vo Cong Huy, chief inspector from the Hanoi Department of Tourism, representatives from agencies have worked with the Hanoi-based Twin Bright Company and Golden Travel Trade and Tourism Company.

The 152 Vietnamese tourists, divided into four groups, were passengers referred to HCM City-based International Holidays Travel Company Limited by Twin Bright Company Limited and Golden Travel Trade and Tourism Company Limited.

Taiwanese company ETholiday asked the International Holidays Travel Company Limited to aid the tourists with their visa arrangements. When the tourists failed to show up to their tour destinations, ETholiday sent a report to police.

ETholiday said it received four groups totalling 153 Vietnamese travellers from December 21 to December 23, but by Sunday (December 23), 152 had disappeared. The only one accounted for at the time was a 17-year-old boy.

As of December 28, 17 of the 152 missing Vietnamese had been detained in Taiwan for further investigation.

Tien Phong/Dtinews