Ho Chi Minh City tightens tourism management amid growing scams, visitor solicitation

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism and the municipal police signed the coordination agreement on Friday to strengthen information sharing, inspections, enforcement and visitor protection.

At the signing ceremony, Le Truong Hien Hoa, deputy director of the Department of Tourism, said aggressive solicitation and overcharging of tourists continued to occur at some locations across the city.

Meanwhile, scams involving online hotel bookings, tour purchases and admission tickets have become increasingly sophisticated, affecting not only tourists’ interests but also the city’s tourism image.

Hoa said Ho Chi Minh City must maintain a safe, civilized and professional tourism environment to develop the sector sustainably.

Any incident involving public order, tourist safety, aggressive solicitation, fraud or scams could undermine visitors’ confidence and directly damage the city’s reputation, he said.

Hoa stressed that cooperation between agencies has become more urgent as Ho Chi Minh City expands its administrative boundaries following its merger with Binh Duong and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

“This requires the coordination mechanism between the Department of Tourism and Ho Chi Minh City police to be regularly reviewed and improved to enhance information sharing, ensure timely responses to emerging situations and meet management requirements in the new context,” Hoa said.

Under the new agreement, the two agencies will develop regular inspection programs targeting travel companies during 2026-31, step up the use of digital technology, connect databases and establish an early-warning mechanism.

They will also increase information sharing on travel business licenses, tour guide cards, new tourism routes and destinations, and international visitor markets involving complex factors.

They will jointly develop plans to ensure security and public order at key tourist sites, festivals and major events.

A representative of Ho Chi Minh City police said the force would work with the tourism sector to step up patrols and inspections, focusing on aggressive solicitation, overcharging, theft and online scams involving tour, hotel and sightseeing ticket bookings.

The two agencies will also continue connecting their databases to support early warnings and timely responses to emerging incidents.

The coordination mechanism between the two agencies was launched in 2021 and has gradually proven effective, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism.

After five years, information sharing, inspections and enforcement have become more systematic, helping maintain a safe tourism environment and support the city’s tourism recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ho Chi Minh City currently has 1,906 travel companies, 77 travel agencies, 20 representative offices of foreign tourism businesses and 4,805 accommodation establishments with more than 106,000 rooms.

During 2021-25, the city welcomed about 155.2 million visitor arrivals, including more than 20.8 million international arrivals and over 134.3 million domestic arrivals.