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| Vietnam is among best places for solo female travelers in 2024. (Photo: congluan.vn) |
When it comes to the safest destinations for women backpacking throughout Southeast Asia, Thailand and Vietnam compete for the top spot. However, Vietnam is placed sixth on the world’s list and is a good place to start, the article wrote.
With a well-trodden tourist route stretching from the capital of Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh in the south, the country boasts mountains, beaches, islands, and ancient villages like Hoi An and Hue, as well as some of the region’s best cuisine, Time Out reported.
Whether travelers make the journey by train, sleeper bus, or scooter, thousands of other solo travelers will also be making the same trip, it added.
Topping the list is Sri Lanka which is popular among backpackers as it is perfectly sized for a week or a month spent exploring the ancient UNESCO-listed sites.
Others places to make the list include Portugal, the Czech Republic, Japan, Guatemala, Vietnam, Australia, Greece, and New Zealand.
Tourism activities expected to bustle in upcoming holidays
The upcoming National Reunification Day (April 30) and May Day (May 1) holidays are expected to be a “golden chance” for travel firms to start a bustling summer tourism season, reported VNA.
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| Tourists in ancient Hoi An city. (Photo: VNA) |
This year, the holidays are expected to last for five days following the proposal of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, prompting travel service suppliers to design long tours with attractive promotion policies.
Saigontourist has offered more than 200 domestic and foreign tours that are expected to attract more than 110,000 visitors. A representative from the firm said that many tours have been fully booked, reaching 80% of its plan.
Meanwhile, STtourist has provided 63 summer tours with the number of tourists for each tour limited at 20 to ensure service quality.
The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival 2024 (from April 4-7) and the Vietnam International Travel Mart slated for April 11-14 in Hanoi are likely to “heat up” the tourism industry on the thresholds of the long holidays.
According to insiders, the recent domestic air fare hikes have prompted tourists to turn to outbound tours, especially those to nearby destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, China and the Republic of Korea.
Many experts held that with the completion of many sections in the North-South Expressway, the flexible combination of many means of transportation in a tour will help optimise travel cost and increase tourists’ experiences.
This year’s summer is likely to continue to see a boom in self-sufficient travel, especially in the domestic market thanks to the increasing car owning trend. To meet this group of tourists’ demand, many travel firms have offer room and entertainment combos.
Homestays are also a popular choice for tourist in this summer, with high booking rates seen in destination of Cat Ba, Van Don, Sam Son, Sa Pa in the north and Vung Tau and Mui Ne in the south.
The railway sector has also braced for the peak tourism season by increasing trains and offering promotions for various priority groups.
Meanwhile, many coastal localities have planned sea tourism festival to lure visitors in the holidays.
Vietnam viewed as ideal, interesting, and safe destination among Canadians
Images of the nation’s land, culture, and tourism were introduced to Canadians within the framework of the 27th Annual Travel and Vacation Show, which took place on April 6 and April 7 in Ottawa, Canada, reported VOV.
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| Vietnam viewed as ideal, interesting, and safe destination among Canadians |
Those in attendance included the Embassy of Vietnam, representatives of international diplomatic corps based in Ottawa, along with tour and tourism service operators across around the world.
It featured the participation of more than 200 exhibitors and nearly 20,000 visitors, in which the two sides took advantage of the opportunity to exchange and learn detailed information about destinations and vacation as Canada is poised to enter the summer, the season of bustling tourist activities.
According to Halina Player, the organiser of the event, after many years of being unable to arrange such an event due to the pandemic, people are now very excited because they will have the opportunity to travel to many places. Participants were therefore keen to choose to attend this exhibition because they could directly ask questions and receive direct answers from local people, for example from Vietnam.
This represents a good interaction in helping people get to know each other, not only domestically but also expanding specifically and directly to the whole world.
With the goal of demonstrating the importance and value of tourism products, this year's exhibition provides visitors with information regarding more than 60 international destinations as well as about 40 tourist addresses in both Canada and the United States.
The Vietnamese booth captured plenty of attention thanks to its beautiful location and unique information and images of the country's people and their beautiful lives.
Interesting types of tourism and appealing destinations were prominently introduced, helping visitors to gain a better understanding of the hospitality of the Vietnamese people.
Attending the exhibition for the first time, David You, a tourist from Ottawa, said he is interested in Vietnam and is keen to visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the future.
He said that he had studied the nation’s history and had also sampled some Vietnamese dishes, meaning he was interested in both Vietnamese culture and tourism.
Similarly, Player who is also a tourist from Canada said that she is also set to visit Vietnam after hearing many good things about this Southeast Asian nation.
She also shared a story of a friend who had traveled to the country for three months and would love to return because Vietnam is seen as an extremely safe place. Besides Vietnam, Cuba and Mexico have launched vibrant tourism promotion schemes in the Canadian market.
Efforts made to seek UNESCO’s recognition for Con Moong Cave
Experts and scientists looked into the building of a dossier for Con Moong Cave in the central province of Thanh Hoa, seeking the UNESCO’s recognition as a world heritage site, at a symposium on April 8, reported VNA.
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| Con Moong Cav cave can satisfy selection criteria regarding cultural tradition, traditional human settlement, and natural habitat.(Photo: yendinh.thanhhoa.gov.vn) |
The event was jointly held by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Institute of Archaeology, and the Vietnam Archaeological Association (VNAA).
Participants evaluated the outstanding values of the cave and its surrounding areas based on excavation and research results, and exchanged experience in the building of such dossier.
Associate Professor Dr. Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Council, suggested Thanh Hoa pay more attention to consulting experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in this regard.
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| Efforts made to seek UNESCO’s recognition for Con Moong Cave (Source: https://nguoihanoi.vn) |
In his closing remarks, VNAA Chairman Assoc. Prof. Tong Trung Tin said participants shared the view that the cave can satisfy selection criteria regarding cultural tradition, traditional human settlement, and natural habitat.
Con Moong Cave was first excavated by Vietnamese archaeologists in 1974 and recognised as a Special National Archaeological Site by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourismin 2015.
The cave has been excavated many times and determined to be the first site in the country containing traces of ancient humans from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic period.
Con Moong (meaning “animal” in the Muong ethnic minority language) is 147m above the sea level and belongs to the Dong Giao geological layer dating back 240 million years ago. It measures some 40m in length, with two gates on both ends. Inside the cave, the ceiling at some places is 10m high.
In 2020, the Prime Minister approved a plan to preserve and promote the value of Con Moong Cave and its surrounding relics./.