The Thua Thien - Hue Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently announced that it will step up its control over Hue’s hallmark “ca Hue” (traditional Hue music) performances for tourists on the Huong river along with other tourist activities to cope with recent scams.

From now, photographers will no longer be allowed to enter the boats, where the performances take place every night, and take photos of tourists before coercing them into buying the photos at exorbitant prices.

The boat owners will also be required to clearly post their prices for the services they offer and will have their permits suspended if violating the rules.

The signature “ca Hue” performances on the Huong river were disrupted on Aug 13-15, as dozens of boats used for the performances were mobilized for the Hue Nam temple festival.

Groups of more than eight tourists were denied access to the performances. Smaller groups were offered the service, but for double the usual price.

According to tour operators, that triggered complaints from many tourists, as the “ca Hue” performances is one of the few Hue’s nighttime tourist activities.

“Ca Hue” is the fuse of Hue folk songs and court music, so it takes on the elegance and solemnity of chamber, academic music. The pieces are quite strict in structures, lyrics and performing styles.

Earlier, on Aug 10, the provincial committee requested concerned agencies to tighten control over the province’s other tourist activities to minimize scams.