Tours in Nha Trang: choosing a licensed tour company and checking your guide
How to check a Nha Trang tour company in the government register in a minute, international vs domestic licences, how to check a guide and what to ask before paying.
Book tours in Nha Trang with a company that holds an international travel licence: under Vietnam's tourism law, those are the companies allowed to serve foreign tourists. Checking takes a minute — ask for the licence number and look it up in the government register at quanlyluhanh.vn. Nha Trang companies' numbers usually start with 56, and an international licence ends in "LHQT". Tour guides can be checked by their guide card at huongdanvien.vn.
How do I check a tour company's licence?
1. Ask for the licence number. An honest company gives it straight away, and it's often in the website footer. It looks like this: 56-199/2023/TCDL-GP LHQT. 2. Open the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism's tour operator register and enter the number or the company name. 3. Compare the name, address and licence type. LHQT is international — the company may serve foreign tourists. A domestic licence (lữ hành nội địa) covers Vietnamese travellers only.
If the number isn't in the register or the name doesn't match, find another company.
Which companies in the catalogue are licensed?
| Company | Licence | Tours | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biển Đảo Tour | international, company since 2005 | sea and island trips | office 172/1 Bạch Đằng, from 7:00; +84 911 847 404 |
| Good Morning Travel | international, 2024 | islands | 0902 288 296 |
| Eco Voyage | international, 2024 | Russian-language tours | via website, office 31 Hùng Vương |
| New Life Travel | international, 2023 | islands and countryside | 0914 914 400, call before visiting |
| Friendly Travel | international, 2023 | countryside, boat and bike tours, craft workshops | 0935 812 225, Zalo; 7:00–17:00 |
| Nha Trang Travel | international, company since 2007 | islands, diving, city, transfers | office 37 Việt Bắc |
Friendly Travel confirmed its listing details to us directly in a message on 1 October 2026.
Why does the licence matter?
A licensed company is in the government register: it has an address, a person responsible and a record you can check. If a tour falls through or something goes wrong at sea, you know where to go and whom to complain to. A seller on the beach or in a chat who is "just putting a group together" may be impossible to find afterwards.
How do I check the guide?
A guide should carry a tour guide card (thẻ hướng dẫn viên), usually on a lanyard. You can look the card number up in the National Authority of Tourism's database at huongdanvien.vn. Fake cards have turned up in Khanh Hoa before: in 2018 the tourism authority asked the police to investigate a ring whose cards looked real but weren't in the database.
What should I ask before paying?
- What's included: hotel pick-up, lunch, equipment, island tickets.
- What language the guide speaks. At many companies guides speak only Vietnamese — then it's a trip without commentary.
- What happens if the weather cancels it: a new date or a refund. In the monsoon season (autumn and early winter) sea trips are often cancelled.
- Ask for a receipt or payment confirmation in writing.
Boat trips and fishing are covered in detail in our guides boat trips and fishing in Nha Trang. All tour companies are in the tours and travel agencies section.
FAQ
How do I check that a tour company is licensed? Look up its licence number or name in the quanlyluhanh.vn register. Nha Trang numbers usually start with 56; an international licence ends in "LHQT".
What's the difference between an international and a domestic licence? With an international licence (LHQT) a company may serve foreign tourists. A domestic licence (lữ hành nội địa) covers travellers from Vietnam only.
Where can I check a guide? In the huongdanvien.vn database, by guide card number.
Are there tours in Russian? Yes — for example Eco Voyage, which holds an international licence and has a Russian website.
Is it safe to buy a tour from a street seller? Buy from a company you can find in the register. Ask a street seller for the company name and licence number and check them before you pay.
Sources and checks
Tour company licences were checked on 30 September 2026 against the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism's tour operator register; addresses and phone numbers come from our catalogue listings (company websites, Google Maps). Licence types: Article 30 of the 2017 Law on Tourism (explained by Thư Viện Pháp Luật and Luật Minh Khuê). The huongdanvien.vn guide database was opened on 6 October 2026. The fake card case: SGGP newspaper, 14 November 2018. Text updated 6 October 2026.