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| A panoramic view of Ha Giang Loop in northern Vietnam (Photo: Shutterstock Images) |
According to the article written by Steve Thomas, the country’s mountainous far north has become a prime destination for adventurous and fit cyclists, with the 300km Ha Giang Loop one of the favourites.
From Ha Giang to the northwest of Hanoi, the route winds through the steep sided mountains, including around 7,500m of elevation gain.
The scenery found throughout the area is awe inspiring, with travelers passing through many rural and ethnic villages along the way, making it a cultural adventure as well as a challenging ride of between five and eight days.
The article also recommended September and October as the best time to ride as they are perfect for seeing the region’s golden rice fields in bloom, while February to March is spring blossom time.
Aside from the popular Vietnamese destination, SCMP suggested that the 475km route between Manali and Leh in the Indian Himalayas is a well-pedaled route.
Others on the list include Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, the 633km Four Rivers route runs right across the Republic of Korea, and Pakistan’s northern Himalaya regions.
Vietnam's tourism shows strong recovery in 2023
2023 is a successful year for tourism sector with a large number of visitors and enhanced reputation in the world arena, according to insiders.
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| Tourists at Hoi An city (Photo: VNA) |
The goal for foreign arrivals in 2023 was adjusted from 8 million to 12.5-13 million right after 10 months.
Tourism experts attributed the results to strong efforts from all stakeholders, especially the Government.
This year, for the first time, a Prime Minister chaired national conferences on tourism development, on March 15 and November 15.
In May, the Prime Minister issued a resolution on speeding up tourism recovery and development in an effective and sustainable manner. Three months later, the Government issued two more resolutions on granting e-visa and increasing the temporary stay to 45 days for citizens of 13 countries that are unilaterally exempted from visas.
Right from the beginning of the year, localities have actively implemented tourism promotion programmes as well as cultural and sports activities to encourage travelling activities, while introducing new products to lure more international tourists. Notably, Hanoi has for the first time launched 15 night-time tourism products.
As a result, after 11 months, Vietnam welcomed more than 11.2 million foreign visitors, 3.8 times higher than that in the same period of 2022. The number of domestic tourists also reached 103.2 million, while total revenue from tourism hit 628.2 trillion VND (25.76 billion USD). In November alone, the country saw a month-on-month surge of 58.5% in the number of visitors from Europe.
The last month of the year with many big festive events is also expected to see a breakthrough for Vietnamese tourism.
In the year, Vietnam's tourism has been highly evaluated internationally, receiving many awards from the World Travel Awards, including the World’s Leading Heritage Destination 2023 for the fourth time and Asia’s Leading Destination.
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| Phu Quoc Island is honoured with the "Asia's Leading Luxury Island Tourism Destination 2023" award (Photo: VNA) |
Many localities of Vietnam have also been honoured. Notably, the capital city of Hanoi won the “Asia's Leading City Destination 2023” and "Asia's Leading City Break Destination 2023” awards. Meanwhile Ho Chi Minh City won “Asia’s Leading Business Travel Destination” and “Asia's Leading Festival & Event Destination 2023” awards.
At the same time, Hoi An was honoured as Asia's Leading Cultural City Destination 2023, while Moc Chau was named Asia’s Leading Regional Nature Destination 2023. Phu Quoc Island won the "Asia's Leading Luxury Island Tourism Destination 2023" award. The northernmost border province of Ha Giang for the first time won the title of “Asia’s Leading Emerging Tourism Destination”. Northern Ha Nam province received the award for “Asia's Leading Regional Cultural Destination 2023” for the first time.
Travel Lemming - an online travel guide website, has placed Vietnam's pearl island of Phu Quoc in the sixth position in the top 50 tourist destinations in 2024. The US’s Travel Off Path website has also run an article stating why Vietnam is increasingly becoming a favourite destination for digital nomads with its open visa policy.
However, the year has also left many lessons for the tourism sector of Vietnam, including that on calculation and setting of specific targets in tourist number in specific periods.
Many tourism experts held that the sector should set a high goal in the number of foreign arrivals in 2024, suggesting it at 17-18 million.
Setting a high target is also a way to prompt localities to take actions right from the beginning of the year, creating new opportunities for the industry to grow, they underscored.
Vietnam a leading destination for French visitors: French daily
Despite belt tightening as a result of gloomy global economic situation, the French could not give up their travel temptation, with Vietnam chosen among their favourite destinations during Christmas holiday, VNA reported the article by French daily Le Figaro.
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| Phu Quoc is among top destinations in Vietnam. |
Le Figaro quoted president of travel firms association Valérie Boned as saying that although costs are high, the French want to go somewhere to celebrate their holiday; however, they gave a more careful consideration to the tours.
The rise of Asia, and increasing geopolitical tensions and inflation rates in Europe and the Middle East have resulted in the change of the French’s travel map.
Asia’s tourism industry bounced back strongly this year, said Guillaume Linton, Director General of Asia Voyage– a leading tour operator in Asia-Pacific, adding that Vietnam, Japan and Thailand’s tourism markets were on a good recovery in 2023 as they recorded higher revenue than four years ago.
While the Middle East is experiencing mounting geopolitical tension, Asia has become a safe destination for travelers, he said.
Although prices surged from 25-30%, there was an increasing number of French registering for tours to Asia, he elaborated.
Last month, Vietnam’s tourism potential and opportunities were spotlighted at a seminar held at the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in Paris.
More Australians keen to travel to Vietnam
According to VOV, Vietnam has increasingly become an attractive destination for Australian tourists as it offers them with new experiences compared to those found in other Asian destinations.
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| More Australians keen to travel to Vietnam (Photo for illustration/ Source: vov) |
In fact, Southeast Asia has been featured on the list of popular destinations among Australians due to its near distance coupled with reasonable costs.
In particular, Vietnam has emerged as a new destination with interesting experiences serving to lure Australian travelers. Google's statistics in Australia indicate that the country ranks fourth among the 10 tourist destinations most searched by Australian people.
Most notably, Vietnam has surpassed New Zealand and Thailand to be among the tourist destinations most visited by Australians.
A report compiled by the Skyscanner platform in early November showed that Ho Chi Minh City ranked among the top 10 most sought-after destinations for Australian tourists, with a growth rate of 246% recorded over the past year.
Adam Wright, a representative from one of Australia's leading travel operator Flight Center Travel Group, revealed that more and more Australian families and couples are booking trips to Vietnam via his company.
He attributed this increase to factors such as local food, unique cultural characteristics, and diverse scenic landscapes.
Currently, Vietnam Airlines is operating direct flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Melbourne and Sydney, as well as from Ho Chi Minh City to Perth, with a frequency of 23 flights per week. It remains the carrier with the most direct flights between the two nations./.