The case is being reviewed by the Economic, Infrastructure and Urban Development Division of Nha Trang Ward.
The complaint was filed by a Hanoi resident, who said he and his family dined at at a restaurant in the Lang Chai area of Nha Trang Ward on June 4.
According to the complaint, the restaurant charged VND 2.9 million per kilogramme for boxfish, with a 0.4 kilogrammes fish costing VND 1.16 million. The customer said no price list was provided and prices were quoted verbally.
He called on authorities to inspect the restaurant's pricing practices and compliance with regulations designed to protect consumers and tourists.
Following the complaint, Khanh Hoa's Department of Industry and Trade instructed market surveillance authorities to investigate.
On June 9, inspectors from the Market Surveillance Team No. 1, together with local officials, conducted an on-site inspection of the floating restaurant.
The inspection found the restaurant had failed to report business changes, lacked the required food safety certification and did not display prices.
Under current regulations, market surveillance authorities cannot sanction food service businesses for operating without a food safety certificate, so the case has been referred to Nha Trang Ward authorities for further action.
The incident is not the first involving complaints over boxfish prices in Nha Trang.
The incident echoes a similar case in May 2025, when a tourist paid VND 1.75 million for a 0.5 kilogramme boxfish. The seafood business was later fined more than VND 20 million for three violations.
