Photo: VOV

Vietnam emerges as new Asian tourism hotspot

Travel Off Path, a US website specializing in tourism, recently published an article highlighting the nation for its array of breathtakingly beautiful scenery, a huge coastline that stretches for an incredible 3,260km, and several energetic cities.

The newswire outlines that when people think of traveling to Southeast Asia, Thailand is one of the first destinations that comes to mind. But for those who want to avoid the crowds of Thailand, then Vietnam represents an emerging force for tourism in the region that is ripe for exploration.

According to information provided by a Google Destination Insights report, the period between March and June saw Vietnam rise to become the seventh most searched destination in the world and the only country in Southeast Asia to make the top 20 list.

The website also pointed out three reasons that make Vietnam to become attractive to foreign tourists.

Adjusted visa requirements

From August 15, visiting will be easier than ever for citizens of many countries. The Vietnamese Government has extended visa-free access to the country from 15 days to 45 days for passport holders from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

The duration of e-visas to enter the nation has also been extended from 30 days to three months.

An 80 additional countries, including the United States, are currently eligible to enter the country using an e-visa. From August 15, an e-visa will also allow for multiple entries into the nation, rather than the current system of each e-visa only being eligible for a single entry.

This will allow guests to come and go as they please, traveling to and from the country as part of a wider Asian tour.

For those who are required to apply for a visa to enter Vietnam, then the visa application is easy, straightforward, and affordable.

Well-preserved natural beauty

Because Vietnam is an emerging tourist destination and doesn’t yet have the same huge footfall that many other Southeast Asian countries enjoy, much of its natural beauty spots remains incredibly well preserved.

The huge range of natural beauty spots nationwide is also outstanding. To the north of the country visitors can explore a rugged mountainous region, whilst in central and southern Vietnam they will find incredibly beautiful beaches.

The countryside is lush and green, whilst the Vietnamese Government has managed to preserve their cultural heritage sites beautifully.

The cities are attracting tourists too. From the captivating old-world charm of Hanoi to the less explored Ha Long, Vietnam is fast becoming Asia’s new tourist hotspot thanks to all of these attractions and so much more.

For travelers on a tight budget, money should be a consideration when exploring the popularity of Vietnam. Southeast Asia is an affordable destination in general, with both Thailand and Vietnam being cheap spots for those on a budget.

But Vietnam is widely considered to be one of the best budget options in the region. Accommodation, food, and transportation are all cheaper in the nation compared to those in Thailand, especially in rural parts of the country.

A focus on tourism growth

The Vietnamese Government is focusing on encouraging more tourists to visit and growing their tourism numbers this year.

The original target was to attract eight million visitors in the rest of year, but there are predictions that the figure will grow to 10 million by the end of the year.

Furthermore, social media trends have a huge influence on travel choices, with Vietnam being strongly promoted across social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

The number of hostels in the country’s largest cities is growing, and according to a spokesman from Fuse Hostels and Travel, “We’re seeing in the last three months a substantial uptick in the number of international guests staying in hostels.”

The Vietnamese Government is keen to turn the country into Asia’s new tourism hotspot. So far this policy has been a success and their plan is working. Therefore, now is the perfect time to explore this incredible and beautiful country.

Unlocking potential for broader Vietnam-Austria economic and trade co-operation

Vietnam and Austria boast huge potential to step up co-operation in fields where Austria boasts strengths and Vietnam has demand, such as high technology, energy, and e-commerce.

The Central European country is consistently among the top 10 trading partners of the nation in the EU. Trade exchange in 2021 reached US$3.36 billion and decreased slightly to US$2.8 billion due to both political and economic impacts in Europe and globally.

However, Austrian investment in the nation remains modest. Austria is currently ranked 41st out of 108 countries and territories investing in the Vietnamese market, with 43 valid projects and a total registered capital of US$148.59 million.

The two sides also have great potential for co-operation in the field of digital economy and green economy.

According to details given by the Austrian Ambassador to Vietnam Hans-Peter Glanzer, Austria will be able to support Vietnam in multiple areas, such as the strengthening of industrial production capacity, supporting the green economy in the field of renewable energy, and public infrastructure development, including the health sector.

"It can be seen that Vietnam's trade turnover with Austria is currently quite healthy and Vietnam desires to further promote agricultural exports and the import of new Austrian technologies to help Vietnam's domestic manufacturing industries develop further as a way of improving its position in the supply chain," said Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Nguyen Trung Kien.

It is known that in the near future the Austrian Ministry of Economy and Labor will submit to the Austrian Government a resolution for the Austrian Parliament to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), according to VOV.

Agricultural products are one of the items that Vietnam wants to export to Austria.

Ambassador Kien said that there are high hopes that this agreement will soon be adopted by parliaments of all EU member states in order to create more favourable conditions for bilateral investment ties, in addition to continuing to maximise the positive impacts of the EVFTA.

When the EVFTA helps the country to see Europe as a single market, studying Austria's tastes, legal system, and distribution channels can help the nation to outline a long-term strategy to export agricultural products in general and fruits in particular, including processed and fresh fruits, to Austria, the Vietnamese diplomat added.

Austria is one of the fastidious and creative markets, which will help the nation to have good partners and clues aimed at bringing agricultural products into this market.

Moreover, Austria is one of the leading countries in environmental protection and circular economy that the country can fully learn from, the Ambassador emphazised.

UK to recognise Vietnam as market economy

The UK is set to recognise that Vietnam’s industries are operating in a market economy and will not impose unfavourable rules should they be investigated under trade defence measures, according to the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam.

The agency said that the UK will announce the recognition after joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

To date, Vietnam has been recognised as a market economy by 71 countries and territories, including many important trade partners, through various forms, reported VNA.

Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)

When recognized as a market economy, Vietnamese goods will be treated fairer and exporters will gain more access to other markets, it added.

The UK became the 12th country to join the CPTPP on July 16.

Two-way trade between Vietnam and the UK rose to 6.84 billion USD last year. Of the figure, 6.07 billion USD was Vietnam’s exports to the UK, up 5.2%, resulting in a trade surplus of around 5.3 billion USD, higher than 4.8 billion USD recorded in the previous year.

Filipino tourists are biggest spenders in Vietnam in 2022

The Statistical Yearbook 2022 which has been released by the General Statistics Office (GSO) found that the average spending of foreign travelers to Vietnam increased slightly.

Vietnam reopened its tourism market on March 15, 2022, creating favorable conditions for tourists to return. In 2022, the country received nearly 3.7 million foreign travelers, or 23.3 times more than the year before. However, the figure was only 20 percent of that of 2019, before the pandemic outbreak.

The foreign tourists with the highest spending level in Vietnam were Filipinos who doubled their spending when traveling to Vietnam, from $1,124 in 2017 to $2,257 in 2019.

The next highest spenders were travelers from Belgium, who spent $1,995, the US with $1,709, Australia $1,416, Denmark $1,383, Norway $1,346, the Netherlands $1,317, Canada $1,315, the UK $1,212, and Germany $1,283.

The travelers who spent the least amount of money in Vietnam, according to the Statistical Yearbook 2022, were from Laos with $343.5 per traveler, Cambodia with $734.9, Indonesia with $804.9, and South Korea with $838.4, cited VNN.

Photo: VNN

As reported by GSO, the average spending per traveler to Vietnam increased slightly from $1,141 in 2017 to $1,151 in 2019.

Of the expense items, hotel rooms accounted for the highest proportion (over 30 percent, or $347). The figure was lower than the $360 (31.6 percent) reported in 2017.

The second biggest expense was for eating and drinking, which accounted for 21.9 percent ($251), followed by travel costs (16 percent, $184), excursion fees (9 percent, $103) and shopping (12.4 percent, $142).

Vietnam plans to welcome 8 million foreign tourists and earn VND650 trillion in revenue from tourism in 2023. In the first half of the year, it received 5.6 million travelers, or 70 percent of the plan. South Korea was the biggest market with 1.6 million travelers, while the Chinese market recovered by 22.4 percent as it began resuming tours to Vietnam from March 15, 2023.

Vietnamese culture introduced at summer festival in Germany

Huong Viet, an online magazine of Vietnamese people in Germany, and the local Vietnamese community introduced the homeland’s culture to German and international visitors at the summer festival Sommerfest in the state of Bayern on July 22.

The annual festival, organised in Augsburg city, featured nearly 40 booths from various countries.

The booth of Vietnam showcased the country’s typical cultural products and dishes.

Besides, a central stage was set up for cultural performances by the countries selected by Augsburg city, and Vietnam was the only Asian nation to be invited to perform this year.

Performances of traditional songs and dances helped popularise the country’s culture to international visitors, VNA reported.

A traditional dance of Vietnam performed at Sommerfest in Augsburg city on July 22 (Photo: VNA)

Mayor of Augsburg city Martina Wild said she was impressed with the food and images of Vietnam displayed at the festival. She expressed her delight at Vietnam’s participation in and contribution to the multicultural event.

Pham Khanh Nam, Editor-in-chief of the Huong Viet magazine, said the red T-shirts with five-pointed yellow stars, the colours of the Vietnamese flag, and the map of the country worn by Vietnamese people there also helped demonstrate the country’s love for peace and affirm its sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly).

Launched in 2009, Huong Viet is a Vietnamese-language magazine updating information about the Vietnamese community, the homeland, and Germany. It also acts as a bridge linking the community with the homeland while holding many events to popularise Vietnamese images and affirm the country’s maritime sovereignty.

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