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Tourism authority steadfast on tour guide cards

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) stands by its decision on professional cards for tour guides, saying these employees have to obtain the new plastic cards under the new Tourism Law if they are to continue their job.

Vu The Binh, Director of the Travel Department of VNAT, he said that the paper-based cards expired on September 30, and no new deadline is now given, travel Vietnam.

“We need to comply with the Tourism Law. Tour guides can’t serve tourists without these professional (plastic) cards, ” he said, rejecting a new request from Ho Chi Minh city to soften the stance to give tour guides more time to meet the requirements.

Under the new law, tour guides serving international travelers must have a bachelor’s degree, a new requirement that many professional guides fail to meet.

The HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism asked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and VNAT to ease the qualification requirements to solve the situation, especially for tour guides serving guests from China, Germany and Japan.

The city’s tourism department asked VNAT to allow such tour guides to change for the new cards first and then complete the degree over the next three years.

The city’s department said that over half of the professional tour guides in HCMC catering to foreign tourists cannot change their paper-based cards for the plastic due to higher standards.

“In 2006, we once allowed the provincial tourism departments to issue temporary cards for tour guides, giving them time to complete the degree, but many people ignored the requirement. We need to follow the law, ” he said.

According to the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, after three months of issuing new cards to tour guides, fewer than 700 guides have obtained the plastic compared to the number of 1, 680 professional guides in the city.

In related news, VNAT has asked all international travel companies to change licenses before December 30. The change is required under the Tourism Law, which took effect in January last year.

VNAT said the old licenses would expire on that date.

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