Street vendor in Da Nang summoned for allegedly overcharging Lao tourists

The current Da Nang City is the result of a merger of the former Da Nang City and neighboring Quang Nam Province, effective from July 1.

At 7:00 pm on Sunday, a group of six Lao tourists had a late-night meal on the sidewalk of Duong Dinh Nghe Street.

They ordered four octopus skewers, two okra skewers, one portion of chicken feet, and three sausages. The total bill was VND760,000 (US$29).

According to Q.H., the tour guide responsible for the Lao group, he was at the hotel when the food was ordered and was unaware of the situation until later.

As the group was finishing their meal, one of the tourists handed Q.H. a note showing the total amount.

The tourist, unfamiliar with local prices, asked him if the amount seemed high.

He was shocked, considering the food was very simple and served by a street vendor, not a restaurant.

"Seeing my guests being overcharged, I argued strongly with the vendor. Only then did she agree to refund VND200,000 [$7.7]," he said.

"In the end, my group still had to pay VND560,000 [$21.3] for basic street food."

Frustrated by the incident, the tour guide took photos of the stall and the vendor and shared them on social media on Sunday evening.

The incident quickly drew attention within Da Nang’s tourism community, with many people criticizing the clear signs of price gouging. 

They pointed out that the vendor was operating on a public sidewalk and selling ordinary food, not high-end cuisine.

The Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism later forwarded the tour guide’s report of the incident to An Hai Ward authorities for investigation and stated that it is awaiting results from the An Hai Ward authorities' probe.

On Tuesday morning, the People’s Committee of An Hai Ward confirmed that they had sent a team to inspect the vendor's location.

During the inspection on Monday, officials identified the vendor as N.T.N.L., a resident of Ngu Hanh Son Ward.

At the time of the inspection, L. was operating a mobile food cart on the sidewalk of Duong Dinh Nghe Street. 

Street vending and soliciting customers are prohibited in this area, which has been designated a no-vending zone.

Authorities issued a report and ordered her to remove the cart and items occupying the sidewalk. She was instructed to cease selling in any area where street vending is forbidden.

To investigate the alleged price gouging incident involving the Lao tourists on Sunday night, An Hai Ward authorities requested that L. appear at their office at 10:00 am on Wednesday to provide relevant information.