Specifically, on September 12, 2023, Winner Vietnam International Travel Company Limited, based in Phu Quoc, confirmed the contract with We Love Tour Company, based in Taipei (Taiwan). By January 24, Winner Company had sent 10 quotes to 10 tour groups to We Love Tour Company. Due to the disagreement between the two companies, on January 31, Winner Company unilaterally sent a notice to terminate the service to We Love Tour Company (attached in Chinese). However, We Love Tour Company did not respond to the notice. Despite the termination of the collaboration, Winner still held the deposit.
On February 9, We Love Tour’s tour group arrived at Phu Quoc International Airport without transportation or a tour guide. Therefore, We Love Tour contacted Winner and the two parties reached an agreement to hire transportation and book hotel rooms for the tour group. During the service, We Love Tour did not make the agreed payment, which led Winner to request the tour group to pay an additional $720 per person. We Love Tour also announced to the tour group to make the payment, keep the receipt, and that the money would be refunded upon returning to Taiwan. However, only 90 guests agreed to comply with the agreement, while the remaining did not agree.
Kien Giang Tourism Department assessed that Winner’s unilateral termination of the contract while still holding the previous deposit of 700,000 Taiwanese dollars, received on January 18, 2024; and still providing service and charging fees, showed that the company had violated the regulations for travel service providers. “There is no travel contract with an enterprise, tourist or representative of the tourist as stipulated”. The department recommended administrative fines of 30 million Vietnamese dong for Winner Company.
Mr. Ha Tuan Minh, Chairman and CEO of Winner Vietnam International Travel Company Limited in Phu Quoc, said that the company completely disagreed with this and it affected the company’s reputation and the image of tourism in Phu Quoc. According to Mr. Minh, the company had a contract with We Love Tour Company and sent 10 quotes to 10 tour groups from Taiwan. However, in the contract, it clearly stated that if the full payment was not made by January 31, the contract would be terminated. At the same time, at that time, Winner Company sent a notice to terminate the contract.
Interestingly, the tour group from Taiwan that Winner Company sent 10 quotes to We Love Tour Company was not related to the 292 Taiwanese tourists stranded in Phu Quoc recently. “We supported this group of 292 tourists out of humanitarian reasons. The cancellation of the 10 tour groups was for different tour groups. In total, there were about 800 Taiwanese tourists stranded in Phu Quoc, not just the 292 tourists in this group,” Mr. Minh said. “The department’s assessment was not accurate. Now we are fined administratively. We disagree with this and will file a complaint against the above conclusion.”
When becoming aware of the information about the Taiwanese tourists being stranded, Phu Quoc City, airlines, travel companies, as well as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Ho Chi Minh City made efforts to resolve the situation, support and assist the Taiwanese tourist group with accommodation, sightseeing according to the original schedule, and return to Taiwan on the afternoon of February 14. The representative of the Vietnamese airline supporting the Taiwanese tourist group said that the airline had not received payment from We Love Tour Company but still supported the safe return of the tourist group according to the schedule.
According to a press release from the Kien Giang Tourism Department, Mr. Derek Chou, Director of the Tourism Department of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Taiwan Tourism Bureau in Ho Chi Minh City, confirmed that the Taiwanese travel company owed travel expenses to the travel company in Phu Quoc, which included land tour expenses (service package excluding round-trip airfare; passport, visa, and other expenses), leading to the refusal of the Vietnamese travel company to receive the tour group. Mr. Derek Chou also expressed his appreciation to the travel companies, including Winner Company, for their support and assistance in helping the tourists return to Taiwan.
In addition, some Taiwanese tourists in the group of 292 people stranded in Phu Quoc have spoken out upon returning to Taiwan. A tourist named Lam (Lin) who arrived at TaoYuan International Airport on Wednesday told CNA that he hoped the tour organizer, We Love Tour, would provide a clear explanation about the trip with numerous flaws.
Mr. Lam felt like he was “cheated” because some travel and meal expenses that should have been covered by the travel company were transferred to the tourists’ hands. “The promised itineraries on Phu Quoc Island have not been fulfilled,” according to Focus Taiwan.
According to Focus Taiwan, Ziontour – a Vietnamese travel company had cooperated with We Love Tour for 11 years, accused We Love Tour of continuously delaying payment to Vietnamese counterparts and owing at least 4 local tour operators. Mr. Phan Anh Tri, CEO of Ziontour (based in Da Nang), said that We Love Tour owed his company $80,000 (about 2 billion Vietnamese dong) since 2019 and had only paid back $10,000 until now.
On February 15, Wang Kwo-tsai, head of the Taiwan Ministry of Transportation and Communications, told reporters in Taipei that We Love Tour could be suspended from business for up to three months due to negligence, citing regulations related to tourism and consumer protection. The Taiwan Tourism Bureau also mentioned that an investigation would be conducted to determine if there was any wrongdoing on the part of the Taiwanese company. David Lin, Director of We Love Tour, made a statement promising to take full responsibility for the losses incurred by the passengers during the trip.
