VietNamNet Bridge - Tens of Chinese have been found illegally working as tour guides in Da Nang. However, analysts believe this is just the tip of the iceberg and the real number is much higher.


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Vietnamese tour guides lose jobs to Chinese



Nguyen Xuan Binh, deputy director of the Da Nang Tourism Department, said the police  discovered 23 foreigners, including 20 Chinese and 3 South Koreans, working illegally as tour guides. 20 of them have been fined VND322.5 million, while 11 have been forced to exit Vietnam.

Che Viet Dong, a Vietnamese tour guide, said a lot of Chinese-speaking tour guides were jobless because of the illegal Chinese guides.

In many cases, Chinese are behind travel firms and they only hire Chinese to work as tour guides.

Chinese tour guides mostly work for zero-dong tours. The zero-dong tour organizers want travelers to buy as many products as possible to offset the zero-dong tour fee. 

They do not need Vietnamese tour guides who give explanations about Vietnam’s culture and history, but need Chinese speak more fluently and persuade travelers to buy goods. 

Chinese tour guides mostly work for zero-dong tours. The zero-dong tour organizers want travelers to buy as many products as possible to offset the zero-dong tour fee. 

A director of a travel firm affirmed that some Vietnamese companies have lent a hand to Chinese.

“They (Vietnamese companies) might receive money for their silence,” he commented.

Pham Trung Luong, Deputy Director of the Research Institute for Tourism Development, believes that Chinese tour guides are working in Vietnam because the sanctions are not heavy enough. Imposing administrative fines do not deter violators. 

“It’s necessary to crack down on illegal tour guides. When we discover violators, we should take them into custody and expel them from Vietnam,” Luong said. “Meanwhile, the travel firms which violate regulations should have their operation licenses revoked.”

Speaking about zero-dong tours, Luong warned that low-cost tours will harm Vietnam’s tourism. In general, the travelers booking zero-dong tours are those with low intellectual standards and their incorrect activities have adverse effects on Vietnam’s tourism environment.

“We should focus on attracting high-end Chinese travelers, who behave correctly and spend big money,” Luong said.

Huynh Tan Vinh, chair of the Da Nang Tourism Association, believes that Da Nang authorities need to reconsider zero-dong tours which bring high risks to the city’s tourism industry.

“We need to target high-end markets instead of relying on low-cost tours,” he commented.

Da Nang’s Vice Mayor Dang Viet Dung also said the tourism industry needs to think of solutions to attract high-quality tourists, rather than try to attract as many tourists as possible.


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