HCM City authorities explain South Korean returnee protest
HCM City authorities have explained why Vietnamese returning to Vietnam from South Korea on a recent flight protested against being forced into high-cost quarantine hotels.
According to Vnexpress, 49-year-old Nguyen Thanh Nhan said that before the flight, Vietjet Air only said that customers could choose to be isolated at state-run quarantine facilities for VND120,000 (USD5) per day or at hotels. Another passenger said that after landing, Vietjet Air said the fee would be VND1.3m but later changed to VND1.7m and VND5m.
However, Vietjet Air said before the flight departed, they had sent an email to all passengers listing quarantine regulations and all of the passengers signed the agreements. "We said that the estimated fee was about USD100 per person. We didn't have any announcement about fixed quarantine fees or higher fees," a representative from Vietjet Air said.
Doan Quoc Binh, vice head of the Southern Airport Authority, said after landing in Vietnam, only three people agreed to go to the hotels. Later, 17 other people agreed and one passenger was sick and transferred to Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital.
"Other passengers demanded to be brought to city's quarantine centres instead of paid quarantine at hotels," he said. "After local authorities arrived, 43 people agreed to go to paid quarantine areas at the price of VND1.3m per person per room. After getting into the buses, they demanded to have four people per room. They continued to cause a ruckus at the hotel and were later transferred to the quarantine facility in Can Gio District."
He asked the airlines to tighten the regulations and clearly list all the fees before letting passengers board the planes such as the test and quarantine fees.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy head of HCM City Department of Tourism, said that when commercial flights were allowed to be resumed, they had prepared paid quarantine areas and were responsible to review and evaluate the facilities. The list of the hotels are listed on the website of the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.
They are proposing to evaluate 16 more hotels with over 1,025 rooms. They will persuade owners of 15 other one or two-star hotels to join the programme to make the fees more varied. There are seven hotels that are being used as quarantine facilities with prices ranging from VND1.2m (USD51) to VND6m (USD257) per room per night depending on the services such as three meals a day.
Hoa said she would investigate the case at Tan Son Nhat Airport to see if there are signs of overcharging.
Paid quarantine facilities will provide one room for one person. If passengers can prove to be related, two people can stay in each room.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy head of HCM City Department of Tourism.
According to Vnexpress, 49-year-old Nguyen Thanh Nhan said that before the flight, Vietjet Air only said that customers could choose to be isolated at state-run quarantine facilities for VND120,000 (USD5) per day or at hotels. Another passenger said that after landing, Vietjet Air said the fee would be VND1.3m but later changed to VND1.7m and VND5m.
However, Vietjet Air said before the flight departed, they had sent an email to all passengers listing quarantine regulations and all of the passengers signed the agreements. "We said that the estimated fee was about USD100 per person. We didn't have any announcement about fixed quarantine fees or higher fees," a representative from Vietjet Air said.
Doan Quoc Binh, vice head of the Southern Airport Authority, said after landing in Vietnam, only three people agreed to go to the hotels. Later, 17 other people agreed and one passenger was sick and transferred to Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital.
"Other passengers demanded to be brought to city's quarantine centres instead of paid quarantine at hotels," he said. "After local authorities arrived, 43 people agreed to go to paid quarantine areas at the price of VND1.3m per person per room. After getting into the buses, they demanded to have four people per room. They continued to cause a ruckus at the hotel and were later transferred to the quarantine facility in Can Gio District."
He asked the airlines to tighten the regulations and clearly list all the fees before letting passengers board the planes such as the test and quarantine fees.
Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, deputy head of HCM City Department of Tourism, said that when commercial flights were allowed to be resumed, they had prepared paid quarantine areas and were responsible to review and evaluate the facilities. The list of the hotels are listed on the website of the Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs.
They are proposing to evaluate 16 more hotels with over 1,025 rooms. They will persuade owners of 15 other one or two-star hotels to join the programme to make the fees more varied. There are seven hotels that are being used as quarantine facilities with prices ranging from VND1.2m (USD51) to VND6m (USD257) per room per night depending on the services such as three meals a day.
Hoa said she would investigate the case at Tan Son Nhat Airport to see if there are signs of overcharging.
Paid quarantine facilities will provide one room for one person. If passengers can prove to be related, two people can stay in each room.
Leave your comment on this story