A tourist boat operator in the world heritage site of Ha Long Bay has been suspended for two weeks after travellers complained about being overcharged on one of its vessels.

According to Le Hong Thang, Director of Quang Ninh Province’s Ports Authority, the violator is Hai Au Company which runs four cruise boats in the bay.

Tourist boats in Ha  Long Bay

The provincial Ports Authority received a complaint from Pham Thi Hue who said that on June 1 her 17-member family hired a Hai Au Company boat.

Before the tour, she and the firm agreed on a price, however, after that the group were charged an extra fee of VND300,000 and VND30,000 per dish, Thang added.

After receiving the complaint, Ha Long City People’s Committee instructed the municipal police and market management board to investigate the case. Hai Au Company’s boats were also found to have failed to meet their requirements on rescue and fire prevention and control equipment.

For such violations, the company has had to halt the operation of its four tourist boats from June 25 to July 4 this year.

Earlier in May, a tourist boat operation in Ha Long Bay was suspended for six months for ripping off customers. A group of eight local tourists who took a company boat on May 15 said that that they were charged more than VND6 million (USD270) for lunch, twice the price they and the boat crew had agreed on.