A Vietnamese-American holidaymaker was beaten to the point of unconsciousness at a Da Lat eatery after workers caught one of her companions in the attempt of posting a negative review of the restaurant’s food and service on social media.

The incident took place on Tuesday night while the 28-year-old tourist, referred to as T., and a group of friends were having dinner at the Bich Thuy eatery near the Da Lat Night Market.

One of the tourists, Vietnamese national V., said the group ordered six dishes of rice with chicken and pork, which were later served without the complimentary soup shown in the menu.

When they asked for the soup, the eatery attendants brought in a big bowl and charged them VND100,000 (US$4.4), which the tourists refused to take.

As they dined, V. and her friends found that the chicken was undercooked and started to complain to restaurant workers.

V. also took photos of the food, prompting a waitress to should “Stop her! She is posting photos on Facebook."

A group of people then appeared from nowhere and joined the Bich Thuy staff in beating V. and her friends.

An attendant named Lo Thi Mai Trang, 20, grabbed T.’s hair, threw her to the ground, and sat on her.

The Vietnamese-American, who has a history of cardiovascular disease, lost consciousness shortly after falling to the ground and was rushed to a local hospital.

V., who also suffered scratches and bruises on her face, went straight to the Ward 1 police station to file a report.

However, she admitted to having fought back with her selfie stick and suggested that the police refrain from filing charges in the case.

Do Ngoc Hoa, head of Ward 1 police, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Wednesday that his unit has booked the case and is still conducting an investigation.