The mystery shops that serve only Chinese travelers

The shops are full of Chinese visitors, but do not receive Vietnamese. Each group of tourists can bring hundreds of millions of dong to the shops, but customs agencies have not been able to track down the money.



Vietnamese travelers believe the shops are the major source of income for a network of free tours, according to local newspapers.

Reporters have visited shops in Ha Long City, but were prevented from entering the shops. The security guards there said the travelers were not clients from the firms with which the shops had relations.

Chinese travelers, recognized by tour guides, are given admission cards to the shops. There are specific signs on the cards, which allow the shop owners to know which travel firms brought tourists and to whom owners had to pay commissions.

Reporters were able to mingle with a group of Chinese travelers entering a shop in Hung Thang.

The products there were mostly made of rubber, displayed in many rooms, and they were introduced as made in Vietnam. These included items priced over VND100 million. An interpreter said the person who introduced the products was a Chinese.

Insiders said that most of the shops that serve Chinese travelers employ Chinese as sellers or tour guides who introduce products for sale to travelers.

It is estimated that there are about 10 of these shops in Ha Long City. Sources said that Ngoi Nha Mo Uoc (dream house) in Ha Khau Ward expanded even after it received a fine imposed by the state management agency.

Ngoi Nha Mo Uoc was reportedly fined for price quotation and transactions in foreign currencies. Meanwhile, the transactions with high value could not be controlled.

Reporters obtained invoices for internal calculations from some shops in Ha Long City that specifically serve Chinese travelers and found hihgh amount of revenue and shared profits.

An invoice showed that a group of 26 travelers bought VND334 million worth of products. The travel firm which brought travelers pocketed VND80.4 million of this amount, the driver got over VND10 million and the tour guide VND53.5 million. The remaining money, about VND190 million, was pocketed by the shop.

Another invoice showed that of the total revenue of VND245 million from a group of 27 travelers, the travel firm which ‘provided’ clients earned VND46.7 million.

Meanwhile, sources said that tens of groups of travelers visit the shops every day.

“With such revenue and shared profit, involved parties all still can make profit even though the tour fee is zero dong,” a tour guide said.

by Lao Dong