Overseas Travel Deaths in Vietnam: Travel Agency Responses and Compensation

Purchase Travel Insurance for Package Tours
Death Coverage from 100 Million to 300 Million KRW
Additional Compensation with Local Land Operators Also Available

As accidents resulting in the deaths of Korean nationals traveling abroad to Vietnam continue to occur, the issue of safety management in travel programs has come under scrutiny. The domestic travel industry plans to reexamine experiential products at major tourist destinations and local operation systems, while focusing on managing accidents according to internally established manuals.

Off-road vehicle swept away by rapid currents in an accident in Vietnam
[Photo by VN Express]

According to the related industry on the 30th, on the 24th, four Korean tourists visiting a valley in Kuran Village near Dalat, Lam Dong Province in southern Vietnam, were swept away and died due to suddenly swollen waters while on a jeep tour, an optional sightseeing product. They had traveled using a Modetour package product. After the accident, Modetour formed a 21-member crisis response team to assist in managing and investigating the incident locally.

A Modetour official stated, "According to the accident response manual, some employees from the headquarters’ relevant departments also went to the site," adding, "We plan to focus all efforts on managing the accident first in consultation with the bereaved families." The jeep tour where the accident occurred is not a mandatory course in the package tour. It is an optional program operated in collaboration with a local specialized travel agency (land operator) for those who wish to participate.

Just two days after this accident, a man in his 60s, a Korean tourist, fell about 4 meters from a rock at the summit of Lang Biang Mountain, a tourist spot near Dalat, while trying to take a photo, resulting in his death. It is known that the deceased had traveled independently.

Major travel agencies operate manuals that organize response teams centered on key responsible department personnel to manage incidents involving casualties. Additionally, travelers using package tour products are mandatorily enrolled in travel insurance, which provides compensation in case of accidents. Each company subscribes to liability insurance that compensates between 100 million and 300 million KRW for deaths of those aged 15 and older. For those under 15, 100 million KRW is commonly paid in case of injury-related disabilities. In the case of independent travel, if the traveler has individually purchased travel insurance, compensation is paid according to the coverage specified in the policy.

An industry insider explained, "Separate from travel insurance, if an accident occurs locally while using a package tour product, additional compensation will be provided to the bereaved families," adding, "Compensation amounts will be shared with local operators based on fault criteria."

He also said, "As overseas travel demand, which had been depressed due to COVID-19, is recovering, the travel industry is generally in a slump due to consecutive tragic accidents," and added, "We are reviewing the operation systems of experiential programs by local land operators, especially at famous tourist sites, and urging local officials to pay extra attention to whether there is any risk of safety accidents."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.