A restaurant owner in Nha Trang, a popular tourist city in south-central Vietnam, has responded to allegations of overcharging a group of Chinese tourists after a bill from the eatery revealed steep prices, including VND1,890,000 (US$75) for a simple dish of grilled eggplant with scallion oil.

On Tuesday evening, T., the owner of Aroma Beach restaurant on Nguyen Thien Thuat Street, Tan Tien Ward, Nha Trang City, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that a group of nearly 20 Chinese tourists dined at his restaurant on Monday.

When ordering, the guests requested one portion for the entire group. As the restaurant staff informed them that a standard portion was only enough for one person, the group decided to order each dish in a quantity sufficient for them all.

As a result, the bill reflected prices calculated for large portions rather than single servings. For example, the ‘com trang’ (plain rice) was listed as VND250,000 ($10) per portion, and the ‘rau muong xao toi’ (stir-fried water spinach with garlic) was VND500,000 ($19.9) per dish, T. explained.

When the restaurant presented the bill, which calculated prices based on portions meant for multiple people, the tourists objected and insisted on being charged according to the menu's single-serving prices.

The restaurant refused, leading to negotiations between the two parties. Eventually, the group agreed to pay half of the original bill, which totaled VND20,441,200 ($812), including a Lunar New Year (Tet) break surcharge of VND4,717,200 ($187).

“The misunderstanding arose because our staff did not explain the portion sizes clearly, so we let the group pay half the bill,” T. admitted.

This image, posted on Xiaohongshu, shows a bill allegedly issued by Aroma Beach restaurant in Nha Trang City, Vietnam, amid accusations of overcharging Chinese tourists. Photo: Minh Ha / Tuoi Tre

Additionally, T. clarified that the above-mentioned surcharge was for alcoholic beverages and tea, which the customers had brought into the restaurant. This surcharge had been agreed upon in advance.

Earlier that evening, a post titled “A restaurant in Nha Trang charges exorbitant prices, overcharges foreign tourists” went viral on Facebook.

The post claimed to be based on information circulating on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu.

It listed exorbitant prices such as VND1,890,000 for grilled eggplant with scallion oil, VND500,000 for a single plate of stir-fried water spinach with garlic, VND325,000 ($12.9) for a bowl of ‘pho’ (beef or chicken noodle soup), and VND200,000 ($7.9) for two cans of Coca-Cola.

The total reportedly reached VND15,724,000 ($624.5), with an additional VND4,717,200 as a ‘Tet holiday surcharge,’ bringing the final amount payable by the diners to VND20,441,200.

The post sparked widespread outrage, with many criticizing the restaurant for damaging Nha Trang's tourism reputation. Others called for authorities to investigate the pricing and surcharge policies, particularly during the holiday season.

That same evening, a Tuoi Tre reporter visited the restaurant mentioned in the post. When asked for the contact information of the owner or manager, a staff member declined to provide it, suggesting the reporter return the following day to speak with management.

Meanwhile, a source from Tuoi Tre confirmed that chairman of the Nha Trang administration Tran Minh Chien is aware of the incident.

He has ordered a multi-agency inspection team to investigate the restaurant and verify the claims, emphasizing that any violations will be addressed accordingly.

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