Tourism firm director arrested for making false promises about Covid repatriation flights

Tran Thi Hoang Anh, 29, director of the Nhi Anh Tourism and Trading Service company, on Sunday was arrested to be investigated for “obtaining property by fraud.”

The company, based in Da Nang’s Ngu Hanh Son District, was not approved to bring people back to Vietnam from outside the country during the heights of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.

Anh was accused to have used multiple channels to advertise the service of bringing back people to Vietnam on repatriation flights. Each person would have to pay between VND50-70 million, including tickets, Covid-19 testing and quarantine fees, among others.

She used flight codes and faked documents by the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, sent them to people so they would trust her and transfer money to her.

Dozens of people have signed up for the service, but Anh never fulfilled her promises. When complaints were sent to the police of Da Nang, she tried to run away.

The police is now calling for Anh’s victims to come forward and provide more information regarding the case.

Vietnam had operated around 400 repatriation flights to bring home residents stranded overseas.