VietNamNet Bridge – Local tour operators have decried draft regulations that require them to find drivers able to communicate in English to serve their tourists and use coaches with a maximum registered operation duration of 15 years to transport guests.

Coaches are seen at a port in HCMC waiting for cruise passengers

The circular on tourist transport, jointly drafted by the ministries of transport and culture-sports-tourism, has been forwarded to travel firms for comment since the end of last year.

Under the draft circular, drivers of tourist vehicles should be able to answer simple questions by foreigners about streets, weather, exchange rate, and addresses of post offices, healthcare centers, insurance agencies, sightseeing and shopping destinations, diplomatic corps and representative offices of international organizations.

According to tour operators, to meet the requirements, drivers must have a good command of English, and this is impossible.

Nguyen Thi Hoa Le, general director of Peace Tour Company, which has the biggest number of tourist buses in HCMC, said as English-speaking tour guides always accompany foreign visitors throughout their tours, there is no need for drivers to be fluent in English.

“It is very hard and almost impossible to find drivers who can communicate in English fluently,” Le said.

She described the regulation on limiting the operation duration of tourist buses to 15 years as irrational because the lifespan of a bus may be as long as 20 years if they are well maintained. Many countries allow tourist coaches to operate for up to 25 years.  

Transport firms bemoan the rule requiring them to report the itinerary of buses to local departments of transport before they sign and implement contracts with tour operators.

A travel firm in HCMC explained that cars are sometimes rented for a small group of travelers and that it is time-consuming to report the schedule of every trip to competent agencies.

SGT