#KoreansStopLying Trends on Twitter After Quarantined Koreans in Vietnam Accused of Being ‘Snobby’ About Food

A flight from Daegu, South Korea carrying 20 Koreans and two Thai nationals arrived at Da Nang airport at 1 p.m. The South Korean visitors refused to enter the quarantine area at Da Nang’s Lung Hospital, according to VnExpress.

Some wanted to return home, while others wanted to self-isolate at a hotel in Son Tra District which the municipal Department of Health accommodated and was paid for by the city.

“The Korean tourist group changed their mind later and said they did not want to go to the hotel, after learning that there was a Vietnamese person with fever on the same flight,” Doctor Le Thanh Phuc, director of the Da Nang hospital, said. “They were worried about not receiving medical care and about food and drink expenses at the hotel.”

The head of the Health Department, South Korean embassy staff and the South Korean Consul General office in Vietnam were able to convince the visitors to go to the quarantined area. The hospital agreed to let the Korean visitors go to the hotel at 5 p.m., but the manager refused to let them in. They were reportedly given yogurt while the hospital figured out the next step.

“Vietnam should have refused entry at the airport itself for travelers from epidemic-hit areas,” said a perplexed Dr. Phuc.

Pham Truc Lam, deputy director of the Da Nang Center for Disease Control, said people from epidemic hit areas should not be allowed into the city.

Da Nang authorities took the Korean visitors to a four-star hotel in Hai Chau District at 6 p.m. The hotel was disinfected by the Department of Health before guests could enter.

“The city will cover their living and accommodation costs,” Hoang Son Tra, Deputy Chief of Office of Da Nang’s National Assembly Delegates, was quoted as saying.

However, a news report by Korean broadcasting company YTN News tried to shed light on the conditions of the quarantined area.

The segment reportedly mentioned the Korean visitors’ distaste for the meals served to them while in quarantine, which included what appears to be rice, kimchi and banh mi. An edited version of the video seems to have taken out the Vietnamese baguettes.

Vietnamese online users did not take kindly to the news report, with many calling on #20KoreansStopLying and asking them to #ApologizeToVietNam.

Feature Image via @augustb4n,@aynmyk4869