Foreigners are not permitted to work as tour guides in Vietnam

Recently, the media and press have strongly condemned the case of Chinese tour guides distorting Vietnamese history. Their actions were blatant in distorting that "Previously, Vietnam was a part of China"; or "The East Sea belongs to China",… they even brazenly led tours and narrated in front of recording and audio devices. According to legal regulations, foreigners are not allowed to practice tourism in Vietnam, but in reality, this phenomenon is still encountered frequently, specifically in Da Nang city where about 60 Chinese individuals are operating this service. Could it be that the management and supervision of tourism activities and the activities of foreigners in Vietnam are lacking strictness?

First, foreigners entering Vietnam must be permitted and controlled by the Immigration Management Agency and the agency controlling immigration. This is a crucial step in controlling national security. Foreigners must meet the conditions stipulated in Article 20 and Article 21 of the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit, and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam 2014 as follows:

- Passport or international travel document and visa.- Not in the cases of not being allowed to enter as below:- Children under 14 years old without parents, guardians, or authorized persons accompanying;- Forging documents or providing false information to obtain entry, exit, and residence documents;- Persons with mental illnesses or contagious diseases posing a danger to public health;- Expelled from Vietnam not exceeding 03 years from the date the expulsion decision took effect;- Forced to exit from Vietnam not exceeding 06 months from the date the decision to force exit took effect;- Due to epidemic prevention and control reasons;- Due to natural disaster reasons;- Due to national defense, security, public order, and social safety reasons.

Next, upon arriving in Vietnam, foreigners during their activities such as working, conducting business, or traveling may develop other purposes, such as working as tour guides. The Tourism Law 2005 stipulates that tour guides include international tour guides and domestic tour guides. However, to operate as a tour guide, one must have a tour guide card and a contract with a travel agency. Significantly, they must meet the following conditions:

- Domestic tour guides:- Have Vietnamese nationality, permanent residence in Vietnam, and full civil capacity;- Not suffering from infectious diseases, not using addictive substances;- Have an intermediate or higher specialist qualification in tourism guiding; if graduating from a different specialization, a professional guide certificate must be obtained from a qualified training institution.- International tour guides:- Have Vietnamese nationality, permanent residence in Vietnam, and full civil capacity;- Not suffering from infectious diseases, not using addictive substances;- Have a bachelor’s degree or higher in tourism guiding; if graduating from a different specialization, a professional guide certificate must be obtained from a qualified training institution;- Proficient in at least one foreign language.

Thus, according to the above regulations, foreigners are not allowed to work as tour guides in Vietnam.

Through the recent incident, the State must reinforce the management and supervision of the activities of foreigners in Vietnam in general and tourism activities specifically more strictly. At the same time, when discovering foreigners with malicious intent, tarnishing the image of the nation's culture and traditions, prompt prevention and handling must be conducted.

>> CLICK HERE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN VIETNAMESE