A foreign tourist has complained about continuously being asked for tip while on a boat ride in Tam Coc-Bich Dong in Ninh Binh Province.


{keywords}

Boat ride at Tam Coc-Bich Dong



In his two-star review on TripAdvisor, a tourist named Adam W. said the tour was fine but the boat ride was unpleasant. "The issue was the boat ride having to triple tip just to get back to land," he said.

But then they were still being hassled for another tip. The boat rower even blocked them from getting back to the bus. According to Adam, the boat rowers' behaviour completely contrasts with the natural beauty of the site. 

Genesis Tours said they had received the complaint and were compiling the feedback from tourists to send to the management board of Tam Coc boat rides. Adam and his friend visited Tam Coc-Bich Dong on September 16 and already gave the boat rower VND50,000 (USD2) but the rower said it was not enough and blocked the tourists from getting on the bus for more.

Genesis Tours were also upset at the rowers as it would badly affect tour firms and Vietnam's tourism sector. Rowers ripping off foreign tourists with excessive tips has been a problem at Tam Coc-Bich Dong for a long time. In some cases, the rowers even insulted the tourists if they reacted.

An anonymous tour guide said she once led a group of 27 Taiwanese tourists to Tam Coc-Bich Dong. They bought tickets and tipped the rower USD3. But as they reached the land, the rower demanded more tips. She felt really embarrassed and tried to reason with the rower but she was almost assaulted. 

Many tourists have filed complaints about the ripping off by boat rowers which forced tour firms to apologise for the unpleasant experience even though boat rides are managed by the local management board.

Tran Van Thanh, manager of Tam Coc-Bich Dong destination, admitted that the rowers were ripping off tourists with tips but claimed that it was not common. "We have strict rules for rowers including not rowing with feet and asking for money. Violators will be punished," he said.

Thanh said they once banned three rowers from working at Tam Coc-Bich Dong site for asking for tips. The site has about 600 rowers who had been trained.

"We always receive feedback to ensure a professional tourism environment. In the coming time, we'll work with related agencies to tighten monitoring at the site. Tourists can file complaints to the management board," he said.

Dtinews