Dubious agents give bad name to tourism industry vef, dtinews.vn   Several officials of large travel companies have pointed out various shortcomings in the industry and proposed ways to improve domestic tourism services.   Tourists left to protect themselves against dubious travel agents According to the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents (VISTA), around 1,000 foreign and 10,000 domestic tourism firms are currently operating in Vietnam. However they estimate that only around half of them are reputable. A number of companies have been established with names very similar to well-known travel firms so as to fool customers. "This can be very confusing for tourists, and make it difficult for them to distinguish which company can be trusted," said the director of Lua Viet Tours Company, Nguyen Van My. Le Thi Nhu Ha, Deputy Director of Peace Tour Company said, "One day some customers came to file complaints about our services. After checking the information, we found that another company had taken a name very similar to ours and had copied our website." The laws do not protect against this type of brand infringement, because the brand can technically be changed with just one slight change in the name. "Our laws on business registration don't require any degree or experiences from representatives of travel agent. That's why so many companies have been established, even though they are weak in terms of finance and expertise. Authorities should appraise these companies before granting permits," said attorney Bui Quang Nghiem. Most of discounted or cheap tours are accompanied by poor services. Phan Duc Man, deputy head of VISTA said, "Transport expenses accounted for 40-50% of the tour cost. So if the agents provide discounted tours, they will have to resort to one or two stars hotels and second-rate destinations for customers." Well-known travel agents are able to provide discount tours because they have built up relationships with transport companies, and can get discounted fares. Recently, the HCM City-based company, Travel Life, was fined VND80 million (USD3,800) for abandoning 701 visitors in Thailand. This incident stirred public concern and shone a light on the tourism industry as well as the authorities' responsibility to improve it. La Quoc Khanh, deputy head of HCMC Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said they might establish a police department for tourism to clean up the market.