Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi’s Department of Tourism has requested the Hanoi Tourism Association, the Hanoi UNESCO Travel Club, the Hanoi Tourism Corporation, local tourism associations, and international travel service providers in the city to suspend and refrain from organising tours to dangerous conflict-hit areas in the Middle East in line with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)’s warnings.
Vietnamese citizens have been advised not to travel to Iran, Israel, and other countries in the Middle East at present due to ongoing conflicts and complicated security developments, according to an official dispatch sent by the department to the above-mentioned units on March 3.
To ensure the safety of Vietnamese tourists as well as international visitors from the Middle East to Vietnam, the department asked tourism associations and international travel businesses in Hanoi to proactively and regularly monitor and update developments in conflict areas, and strictly comply with recommendations from the MoFA.
The department also requested the units to review all signed, open-for-sale, or upcoming tour programmes related to countries in conflict zones, as well as tours already sold to international visitors from conflict-affected areas planning to travel to Vietnam (if any). They were urged to negotiate postponements, cancellations, or appropriate adjustments to itineraries and schedules to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of tourists in accordance with contracts and legal regulations.
In cases where travel firms are currently operating tours with groups present in conflict areas, they must maintain regular contact with partners and Vietnamese diplomatic representative missions in the host countries, or with the MoFA’s citizen protection channels.
It requested relevant units to closely monitor the situation and promptly report to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism and the department to coordinate the handling of any arising incidents./.
