During an experiment on an electric vehicle in Nguyen Hue Pedestrian Street (district 1, Ho Chi Minh City), the streamer IShowSpeed was faced with an exorbitant rate of USD 100/hour (approximately VND 2.5 million), which was later reduced to VND 1 million.
IShowSpeed, a famous American streamer with nearly 80 million followers on social media, was in Ho Chi Minh City to attend an event.
On the evening of September 14, he explored the city’s tourist attractions. Arriving on the Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, he expressed the wish to test an electric balance bike service (a type of bicycle without pedals). The initial price of 100 USD proposed aroused the indignation of the public present, who shouted and protested against this price considered too high. Although IShowSpeed offered 500,000 VND for the experience, the service owner insisted on charging 1 million VND, and the streamer was only able to enjoy the experience for five minutes.
This incident was widely broadcast and commented on on social networks, causing indignation among many Vietnamese who believe that this harms the image of tourism and the reputation of the Vietnamese people.
Normally, the cost to use this type of vehicle ranges between 35,000 and 40,000 VND per trip.
Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Tourism Department of Ho Chi Minh City, expressed his displeasure over the incident, saying it undermined the positive image of tourism in Vietnam. He announced that his department would investigate the matter and work with authorities to clarify the situation.
“The Ministry of Tourism will work with relevant parties to issue warnings and apologize to the victim,” Mr Hien Hoa said, adding that tourism businesses are regularly informed and reminded not to exploit tourists and preserve the reputation of the city.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/streamer-nguoi-my-bi-thu-1-trieu-dong-cho-5-phut-thue-xe-dien-o-tphcm-20240914220840090. htm
