Vietnam is present on the list of the 10 best places for experiences in the world, according to the world’s most popular travel guide and review website, TripAdvisor.

Stunning aerial views of Mu Cang Chai terraces in the northern Yen Bai province. (Photo: VOV)

Iceland topped the list of Travellers’ Choice awards for destinations, followed by Greece, Mexico, Portugal and Morocco.

The “Most Excellent” global tourism destinations are simply those have the highest percentage of TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence recipients – meaning that have a record of consistently achieve high traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.

“When travellers see a Certificate of Excellence sticker or certificate on display, they immediately know that the business has a track record of offering highly rated guest or diner experiences,” Vice President of Brand Marketing at TripAdvisor Neela Pal said.

“TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm that takes into account the quality, quantity, and recency of user reviews, as well as the business’ tenure on the site,” TripAdvisor explains.

2018 marks TripAdvisor’s eighth year of the Certificate of Excellence, which is awarded to businesses and travel destinations that consistently receive high ratings and praising reviews on the site.

Destinations must maintain a rating of four or five to be selected.

In 2016, Vietnam, which was named among world’s 20 fastest growing travel destinations, has overtaken its neighbor Thailand for the first time.

Earlier, Vietnam has ranked 7^th on a list of the world’s Top 20 fastest-growing travel destinations, announced recently by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The list is based on an assessment of increases in tourist arrivals.

Among Asian countries on the list, Vietnam’s 7^th place was the third highest, behind Nepal (second, with arrivals up 39.7 per cent) and South Korea (fourth, with arrivals up 30.3 per cent).

Vietnam has been named among the world’s top tourist destinations several times in the past, including the Top 10 cheapest countries to travel in 2016, as voted by The Richest from the U.S., the top ideal countries for backpacking tourism in 2016, by Rough Guide from the UK, and the top eco-friendly tourist destinations, by travel experts from Boundless Journeys and Adventure Life.

Vietnam received a total of more than 6.7 million foreign tourists in the first five months of 2018, an increase of 27.6 per cent compared to the corresponding period of 2017, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

In which, the number of tourists arriving in Vietnam from South Korea saw the highest growth of 62.1 per cent, followed by Finland, up 39.1 per cent, and China, up 37 per cent.

Here are the results:

"Most Excellent" countries overall

1. Iceland

2. Ireland

3. United Kingdom

4. Greece

5. Morocco

6. France

7. The Netherlands

8. Italy

9. Portugal

10. Belgium

"Most Excellent" countries for experiences

1. Iceland

2. Greece

3. Mexico

4. Portugal

5. Morocco

6. Vietnam

7. United Kingdom

8. Brazil

9. Thailand

10. Chile

VNF