HANOI, Vietnam – Foreign tourists have taken to social media and travel forums to complain about the enforcement of a 6-dollar charge for Vietnam’s old town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Although the ticketing system was introduced two years ago, it was only recently enforced, Le Van Giang, Chairman of Hoi An People’s Committee said on Wednesday.
Vietnamese tourists are charged four dollars. Another frequent source of complaint is the way the tourists are treated by ticket attendants.
“The reason foreign tourists are reacting this way is because many ticket attendants have behaved inappropriately towards tourists who forget or refuse to buy tickets,” he said, noting that many ticket attendants do not speak good English.
“Just tried walking over the bridge from An Hoi, chased by man shouting ‘you buy ticket’,” wrote Twitter user Caroline Mills.
Other tourists complain about the ticket being too expensive, with one Tripadvisor user, Jim B, writing: “More expensive than the 1-euro tourist tax payable by visitors to a city like Rome, Italy. What the heck are they thinking up there in Hoi An?”
According to Giang, the money raised by the entrance fee is used to finance staff salaries and infrastructure maintenance.
Hoi An, a UNESCO-heritage town, is a popular tourism destination in the central province of Quang Nam.
