Hanoi, HCM City among 10 Most Affordable Asian Cities for Visitors

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been listed by travel magazine Travel + Leisure among the 10 most affordable Asian cities to visit right now.
August 04, 2024 | 07:19
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According to the magazine, trips to Asia can seem expensive at first glance, “with some flights double what you’d pay to get to Europe. But as with any travel destination, you can find a great deal — if you know where to look”.

Travel+Leisure
A corner of Hanoi. Photo: Travel+Leisure

Flights to Asia are actually 9% cheaper than they were this time last year. For bigger savings, Kayla Inserra DeLoache, Kayak’s consumer travel trends expert, recommends travelers “plan your trip during shoulder season this fall (October-November) and save up to 12% on flights compared to peak travel season (May-July)”.

Vietnam is one of the two countries to show up twice on this list, a fact that’s not surprising to people who are well versed in travel to Asian countries.

According to Ethan Crowley, a trip planner at Kayak’s Asia Desk, HCMC has an average total cost of US$1,452. The cost to book direct flights from San Francisco to HCM City starts at just US$660 for a round trip, according to their flight schedule.

Bui Vien street in district 1, HCM City, is called 'western street' as it's a famous attraction for foreign travelers (Photo: thanhnien.vn)
Bui Vien street in district 1, HCM City, is called 'western street' as it's a famous attraction for foreign travelers. Photo: thanhnien.vn

Moreover, he noted that this is currently one of the only direct nonstop flights from Southeast Asia to North America.

Along with affordable flights, Crowley said that food and lodging is also affordable. He considers Vietnam to likely be “the lowest-cost country for travelers” in all of Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, Hanoi charges an average total cost of US$1,546. In Vietnam, visitors have great cheap food, great value hotels, and great transport.

Accommodation, from the low end up through luxury, is much cheaper than the surrounding countries.

Business-class domestic flights in Vietnam are excellent value and also make the experience in the country's crowded airports much more enjoyable; even economy flights are far cheaper than similar routings in US.

Rounding on the list of the top 10 destinations were Taipei city of Taiwan (China), Jakarta of Indonesia, New Delhi of India, Bangkok of Thailand, Manila of the Philippines, Tokyo of Japan, Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia, and Osaka of Japan.

Earlier, Hanoi was named as the world's second most affordable travel destination this year, after New Delhi, in a survey by British website Wethrift.

Public transport in Hanoi can cost as little as £0.23 (US$0.29), a meal costs around £1.71 and the average price of a drink is £0.83.

A night’s stay for two people on weekends costs £32.42 while attraction tickets add up to £45.

Hanoi, HCM City among 10 Most Affordable Asian Cities for Visitors
Vietnam is one of the two countries to show up twice on this list, a fact that’s not surprising to people who are well versed in travel to Asian countries. Photo: Lonely Planet

Hanoi currently has 61 direct flights.

The world's leading online travel platform Tripadvisor has also honored Hanoi in the category of the Best Food Destination in the World 2024.

The number of tourists to the capital city in the first six months of this year is expected to reach 14.05 million, an increase of 13.7% compared to the same period in 2023, the municipal Department of Tourism reported.

Of the figure, the number of international arrivals is forecast to hit 3.14 million, a surge of 52.6% year on year while domestic tourists are estimated at 10.3 million, up 6%.

Meanwhile, HCM City welcomed more than 2.28 million foreign tourists in the first five months of the year, up 32% year-on-year, driven by a series of festivals and tourism promotion events, according to its Department of Tourism.

During the period, nearly 14 million domestic tourists visited the city./.

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