Tourism is playing an increasingly important role in Vietnam’s economy, especially in the context of international integration and sustainable development. Among the key sectors directly shaping the visitor experience is tourist accommodation. To ensure quality, safety, and professionalism, Vietnamese law establishes specific requirements for businesses, organizations, and individuals engaged in this service.
This article explains the legal conditions for providing tourist accommodation services, the types of recognized accommodation establishments, and the rules for accommodation ranking under the Law on Tourism 2017 and its guiding regulations.
1. Conditions for operating tourist accommodation services
Under Article 49 of the Law on Tourism 2017, any enterprise, organization, or individual that wishes to operate tourist accommodation services must satisfy the following conditions:
- Legal business registration: A business must be legally established and registered under Vietnam’s enterprise regulations with the competent business registration authority.
- Compliance with safety and social requirements: The establishment must meet requirements relating to security, fire prevention and fighting, environmental protection, and food safety. These are essential for protecting tourists and ensuring social order.
- Minimum technical standards: Accommodation facilities must comply with minimum technical and service standards set by the Government. This includes requirements for guest rooms, equipment, amenities, and supporting services to ensure guests’ comfort and convenience.
2. Types of tourist accommodation establishments
Pursuant to Article 21 of Decree 168/2017/ND-CP, Vietnam recognizes various types of tourist accommodation establishments, including:
- Hotels: Facilities that meet quality standards in terms of infrastructure, equipment, and services. Hotels are further divided into resort hotels, roadside hotels, floating hotels, and city hotels.
- Resort hotels: Built in scenic natural areas, often as clusters of villas or low-rise buildings.
- Roadside hotels: Located near roadways with parking facilities, designed for travelers using road transport.
- Floating hotels: Mooring on water, with the ability to move when needed.
- City hotels: Situated in urban areas serving business and leisure tourists.
- Tourist villas: Fully equipped villas available for rent, where guests may self-serve during their stay.
- Tourist apartments: Apartments with necessary equipment and services, allowing guests to self-cater.
- Tourist ships: Watercraft with sleeping cabins providing accommodation for tourists.
- Tourist guesthouses: Basic facilities with essential equipment and amenities.
- Homestays: Private houses offering rooms equipped for tourists, with guests sharing daily life with the host family.
- Tourist campsites: Planned areas in scenic locations, equipped with infrastructure and facilities for camping.
3. Accommodation ranking system
To enhance service quality and ensure transparency, the Vietnamese tourism law provides a ranking system for certain accommodation types.
According to Article 50 of the Law on Tourism 2017:
- Ranking is voluntary, not mandatory, and applies only to hotels, tourist villas, tourist apartments, and tourist ships.
- Establishments are ranked from 1 star to 5 stars based on national standards.
- The authority to evaluate and grant rankings is divided as follows:
- The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism assesses and certifies 4-star and 5-star establishments.
- Provincial tourism authorities assess and certify 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star establishments.
The application dossier for recognition of accommodation ranking must include:
- An application form for recognition according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s template;
- A self-assessment of service quality based on national standards.
- A list of managers and staff;
- Certified copies of qualifications, training certificates, and proof of professional experience of managers and heads of departments.
Accommodation ranking provides significant benefits. It strengthens the reputation of businesses, assures service quality, and helps tourists make informed choices suited to their preferences and budget.
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