Your Vietnam

Travellers have turned their backs on tours in the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) due to the bad quality of tours. 

EWEC tourism once experienced a golden age. The number of tourists from Thailand and Laos coming to Vietnam through the Lao Bao and Quang Tri border gates increased sharply in 2006-2007. However, the figure dropped dramatically by 30% in 2008. Service quality has been identified as the biggest problem. 

Playing with double-edged knife 

Many travel firms in the central region have set the goal of attaining clients at any cost. There are some 20 travel firms which have been doing business in the EWEC, a lot of which have been trying to slash tour fees to unbelievably low levels – even surprising firms which provide tourists from Thailand and Laos. 

A representative of Vienchanpa Company in Savanakhet in Laos said that some travel firms in Quang Tri province in Vietnam have offered tour fees for a 4-day and 3-night tour to the Central Region Heritage $30/traveller lower than the rates offered by other firms. 

“$3-5 per traveller would be acceptable. But if they accept the sharp discount of $30, I do not feel secure enough to trust them,” said the representative.  

“They will surely lose money if they offer such a high discount. In order to cover losses, they will have to lower service quality,” he added. 

Le Anh Son, Deputy Director of Quang Tri-based DMZ Travel, said that a lot of Thai tourists have complained that Vietnamese travel firms have offered overly low tour fees, which also means low service quality. 

Son said that reducing tour fees is like a double-edged knife. If the tour fee reduction means lower service quality, travellers will turn their backs on Vietnam’s tourism. 

Expectedly, travel firms in the central region of Vietnam reported sharp decreases of tourist numbers in 2008. The numbers of travellers from Thailand and Laos some travel firms received last year were just 50-60% of those in 2007. 

Travel firms killing themselves 

In order to attract more travellers in the context of the global economic recession, some travel firms in the central region have invented a new way of doing business: they give birth to other ‘brand names’ and try to offer low tour fees to travellers under the new brand names. 

The director of a travel firm admitted that he would rather earn one VND than sit idle and still have to pay salaries to staffs. 

The consequence of the massive tour fee reductions is that clients cannot be served well while they still have to pay money for the services. 

Tran Xuan Huy, Director of Route 9 Travel, said that the tour fees of the company are always higher than those offered by other firms as the company always receives high-class clients from Thailand and Laos. However, the fierce competition created by his contemporaries has forced him to think of slashing tour fees, though he knows that he has to protect the company’s prestige. 

Tran Van Phuoc, Director of Kaoklai Travel Firm in Nakhonphanom province in Thailand, said that Vietnamese travel firms are unprofessional in doing business. They are satisfied with just small profit. Meanwhile, Nguyen Tha Vorn, Director of Viet Tour in Thailand, also said that he feels unsatisfied by the way travel firms in the central region have been doing business as the firms have been trying to scramble for clients. He said that a lot of Thai people have turned their backs on tours of the central region of Vietnam. 

(Source: NLD)

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