The Phu Quoc Special Zone People's Committee in An Giang Province said local authorities had received complaints in late 2025 about hotel bookings and tourism services arranged through social media and online platforms.
Visitors enjoy leisure activities in Phu Quoc (File photo: Hoang Duat).
In some cases, visitors arrived on the island to find that their hotel or guesthouse had no room available, forcing them to find alternative accommodation at higher prices. Such incidents have caused anxiety among tourists and risk damaging Phu Quoc's reputation as a destination.
Inspections also found that some tourism businesses had failed to comply fully with regulations on displaying prices or had not adequately posted accommodation rules.
According to the local administration, many reported incidents stemmed from tourists' own booking choices. Some visitors used unofficial applications with unclear legal status, failed to obtain valid booking confirmations from accommodation providers, transferred money through unsecured channels or did not contact hotels directly to verify reservations before arrival.
Meanwhile, some social media pages have shared information without sufficient verification, leading to misunderstandings and the spread of inaccurate claims that could harm the tourism image of Phu Quoc and An Giang Province.
The Phu Quoc administration said it remained committed to strengthening tourism oversight and maintaining a safe, healthy and transparent environment for visitors.
It pledged to take strict action against businesses found to have breached pricing regulations, engaged in commercial fraud or violated tourists' rights. Authorities also said they would not allow false or unverified information to undermine the island's reputation.
"Protecting tourists' rights and maintaining a safe and transparent tourism environment are shared responsibilities of the authorities, businesses and the community," the administration said.
The local government advised travellers to book accommodation only through reputable applications with clearly identifiable legal entities. It also warned accommodation providers against exploiting the year-end increase in demand to impose unreasonable price rises that could damage Phu Quoc's reputation and tourism environment.
Visitors should carefully check booking confirmations and contact details, retain all transaction records, and contact accommodation providers directly to confirm room availability before arrival.
Tourists were also urged to be wary of unusually low prices, requests to transfer money outside booking platforms, and providers that fail to issue valid receipts or booking confirmations.
If problems arise, visitors should contact the local tourism complaints hotline or the relevant police station for assistance.
According to An Giang Province's tourism authorities, the province welcomed more than 23.4 million visitors in the first nine months of 2026, generating estimated tourism revenue of nearly VND 58 trillion (USD 2.24 billion), up more than 38 per cent year on year.
Phu Quoc alone received an estimated 8.6 million visitors, including more than 1.9 million international tourists, an increase of more than 60 per cent compared with the same period last year. Tourism revenue on the island reached nearly VND 46 trillion (USD 1.78 billion).
Visitors can report tourism-related complaints on 0948 864 606. For market pricing issues and commercial fraud, the hotline is 0916 990 633. Suspected criminal activity can be reported to 02973 846 019 or 0948 730 203.
