The case in which 701 Vietnamese tourists were abandoned in Thailand by a tour organizer is the last straw, according to other holidaymakers who assert that such poorly organized tours are not uncommon since there are a number of bogus travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City.

A Google search with the keyword tour gia re (cheap tour) returns millions of results in seconds, with a number of companies boasting cheap packages to Cambodia and Thailand.

However, when Tuoi Tre randomly selected nine such companies to check with the city’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, the result was shocking: none of them are licensed to organize outbound tours.

The Niem Tin Viet Co, for instance, is only licensed to offer domestic travel packages, but it had inked an insurance contract for a delegation of tourists to travel to Thailand from March 12 to 16 at a fee of US$150 per tourist.

Vu The Binh, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said the local tour organizing market has been spoiled by the bogus travel agencies, who do not organize trips on their own but sell customers to other organizers to enjoy the commissions.

“They don’t have to develop tour programs and plans, but simply copy from other authentic tourism companies and change the information into their own to dupe customers,” Binh said.

Once customers have deposited their money for the tours, the bogus companies will immediately ‘transfer’ them to the real tour organizers, and are paid $15 to $25 per customer.

The companies that will actually take the tourists on the trips can only receive $5 – 7 per customer.

One-employee companies

Tuoi Tre visited the office of Bo De Co, a tour organizer in Tan Phu District, and was shocked to find only one attendant there.

The woman asserted that her company has organized many tours to Cambodia, and the next packages are available on July 4 and 6 at VND3.25 million (US$156) per person.

“If the package is fully booked early, we will depart on July 4, otherwise we have to wait for two more days,” she said.

Asked if there are any tours to Thailand, the attendant said her company’s partner, the Viet Cam Co, can offer the service.

“The tour costs $430 per customer for departure before July, and $389 for departure on July 4,” she said.

“We have organized many tours like this, so no need to worry.”

However, Nguyen Thanh Tuan, director of the Cam Viet Co, told Tuoi Tre that his company does not authorize Bo De Co to take booking on its behalf.

"They must have studied our tour programs to collect customers and 'resell' to us for commissions," he said.