They arrived at Phu Quoc International Airport to board their charter flight to Taiwan at 12:30 p.m., said Ha Tuan Minh, director of local travel agency Winner Vietnam, which was to provide services to them.
On her personal page, Huang Chengxi, one of the “abandoned” Taiwanese tourists in Phu Quoc, thanked Minh’s company for its support.
“We are now safe and continue our journey,” she wrote.
The visitors had booked a four-day tour of the island through the We Love Tour company in Taipei and arrived by charter flight on February 10, the Lunar New Year.
Initially, the Taiwanese partner agreed to make full payment by January 31, but failed to pay and Minh’s company canceled the contract.
But the Taiwanese company went ahead and sent the group to Phu Quoc, where there were no vehicles or hotels waiting for them. He contacted Minh and begged him to take care of the visitors.
He then sent 18 buses and Chinese-speaking guides to Phu Quoc airport and accommodated the visitors in two five-star hotels.
The Taiwanese company had promised to pay on February 11, but has not yet managed to pay.
Bui Quoc Thai, head of the Kien Giang tourism department, announced on Wednesday that his department, together with Phu Quoc city officials, had revised the contract between Taiwanese company We Love Tour and Vietnamese company Winner to provide clear information to tourists.
He criticized the Taiwanese travel agency’s irresponsible act that left nearly 300 tourists stranded and said any infractions by Vietnamese companies would be punished.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in HCMC has contacted both parties, asking the Taiwanese company to make full payment by February 26 while Minh’s company continues to welcome tourists.
According to a Bamboo Airways source, even though it did not receive payment from the Taiwanese tour operator, the airline still flew the tourists home on time.
The incident occurred in the first days of the Lunar New Year and attracted international media attention.
On the social media forum Today.line.meMany Taiwanese have criticized the We Love Tour for abandoning customers and fraud, calling on their authorities to strictly manage the business.
