Tour operators lament that a ban on kayaking in Hạ Long Bay takes effect almost immediately, leaving them scrambling to make changes to their scheduled tours. 

The decision by city authorities to ban all kayaking trips in the world-renowned Hạ Long Bay last week has come as an unpleasant surprise for many tourism firms.

The decision was made last week following accusations that some kayaking trips are overpriced.

It is unclear when the ban will go.

Local authorities said the number of kayaks in the bay has been growing rapidly, with many services not being registered and many tourists getting overcharged.

But tour operators complain that the ban was announced only three days before it took effect. 

Nguyễn Tiến Đạt, deputy director of Transviet travel agency, said the reaction of most customers has been "unhappy".

"We do not know what to replace the activity with." 

Some travel agencies have petitioned the administration of Quảng Ninh, home to Hạ Long Bay, to overturn the ban.

"If the decision cannot be reversed, local authorities should shelve it until the end of 2017," a representative of German tourism company Chamäleon Reisen told e-newspaper VnExpress. — VNS