Allegations of discrimination against Vietnamese customers at a restaurant in Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province, has raised local outrage.
According to a number of tourists, the restaurant’s food and drink service area will not serve Vietnamese clientele unless they book hours in advance, and the souvenir shop has stopped serving Vietnamese completely.
Mr. Nghiem Phuc, the owner, explained that he stopped welcoming Vietnamese customers because of their 'bad behaviour'. He admitted to carrying out this policy for two years.
He said that the souvenir shop does not draw Vietnamese customers, only window-shoppers. So he instructed his staff not to serve them at all.
“Foreign customers will often wait for as long as 30 minutes for service, while Vietnamese people will complain and cause scenes. It's for this reason we've decided not to serve Vietnamese unless they book in advance," he said.
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thanh Tam, Vice Chairman of Binh Thuan Province People’s Committee, said, local authorities have found and seized a number of dubious imported items from this shop, including watches and tobacco. They are still awaiting documentation to certify their origins.
“Mr. Phuc’s behaviour is unaccepted, and has raised a public outcry in the community. The provincial People's Committee and other agencies will review this case and keep a close eye on the restaurant's operations. If the situation is not corrected their business license may be revoked," he said.
Phuc has since made a public apology and promised to reform the restaurant's policies, Tam added.
Professor Dao Trong Thi, Chairman of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, commented, “This issue should be seen from its various angles. Still, discrimination based on simply being Vietnamese is inappropriate, and must be condemned. In this case it seems that the owner thought that foreign customers were more profitable. But in discriminating against Vietnamese he is also disrespecting himself."
