Vietnam

Ninh Binh, Vietnam, and Laos are keen to work more closely together to expand cooperation, including for tourism, by setting up a cross-border heritage urban network

Thai Nguyen Province organised a tourism promotion conference at the HCMC Tourism Fair 2024. The province in its tourism development plan for 2021-2025 with a vision to 2030, targets building 5 community tourism sites based on its tea culture by 2025. The province has identified 6 community tourism sites, including 2 based on tea culture. The sites helped to popularise the Thai Nguyen tea brand and helped to provide more sustainable income for rural residents. In Q1 2024, the province welcomed 1.1 million visitors

Savills Vietnam report said Hanoi hotel occupancy reached 65% in Q1 2024, +7% YoY. It said the average room rate increased by 2% QoQ and 11% YoY. The report also showed the city has 11,120 rooms from 67 projects, which dropped by 1% QoQ after two projects were delisted from 3-star ratings in Q1 2024. 9 5-star hotel projects will increase room supply by 76% and 4-star hotel projects will increase room supply by 24%. 8 projects from the inner city will offer 1,732 rooms equal to 60% of the share and 7 international projects will supply 1,177 rooms, of which Hilton accounts for 25%, and Fusion 17%

Vietnam aims to start construction of two high-speed railway lines connecting Hanoi with China before 2030, according to the Planning and Investment Ministry. One line will connect Haiphong and Quang Ninh through Hanoi to Lao Cai Province, which borders Yunnan, China. The second line will connect Hanoi to Lang Son Province, which borders Guangxi, China

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) expects Vietnam’s economy to grow at 6% in 2024 and 6.2% in 2025. Vietnam’s pro-growth monetary policy and public investments are key measures taken to sustain the economy’s growth

Saigontourist will offer more than 200 domestic and foreign tours and is expected to attract 110,000 visitors for the Reunification Day and Labour Day holidays. A representative from the company said 80% of its tours have been booked. STtourist has offered 63 summer tours with 20 tourists for each tour, to ensure service quality. For summer, the homestays have become a popular choice for tourists, destinations like Ba, Van Don, Sam Son, Sa Pa in the north and Vung Tau and Mui Ne in the south are getting high booking rates

The Railway Sector is working to meet high travel demand during the upcoming National Reunification and Labour Day holidays on 30 Apr and 1 May respectively. Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR), said they are arranging night trips to Dalat City, Lam Dong. The official launch will be held on 14 Apr and free tickets will be offered from 11-13 Apr. The train on this route will have 5 modern seating carriages and 1 for community activities with mobile check-in for passengers. The train will be equipped with Wifi in Apr

Information and Communications, Home Affairs, Transport Ministries, and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour agreed to the full 5-day holiday in conjunction with Reunification Day on 30 Apr and Labour Day on 1 May. Workers will have holidays from 27 Apr - 1 May and the normal working day on 29 Apr will be replaced on another day. Vice President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour said a social media survey with 3,590 trade union officials and workers found 87% of respondents with 3,129 votes supported this and only 8% were against

HCMC Power Corporation (EVN HCMC) said the city’s electricity consumption in Apr increased and surpassed the 2023 level due to prolonged hot weather. From 3-5 Apr, daily electricity consumption was recorded at 95 to 97 million kWh compared to the highest 94.8 million on 6 May. EVN HCMC asked the people to use electricity effectively

The Hung Kings Temple Festival was held on 9 Apr in Viet Tri City, Phu Tho Province. The province also will host various other festivals from 9-18 Apr, like Xoan singing performances, a volleyball tournament, a trade fair, One Commune One Product (OCOP) exhibitions, and a fireworks display on 17 Apr

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported that over 150 Vietnamese, 30 Chinese, and 14 Indonesian nationals were among the 220 foreign nationals that were denied entry to the Philippines in May. BI’s immigration protection and border enforcement section (I-PROBES) said the increase in entry denials for Vietnamese were attributed to the influx of Vietnamese nationals found to be working in illegal online gaming hubs

Vietnam aims to attract 28 million affluent Chinese tourists by highlighting shopping opportunities. Duty-free shops at the Bac Luan border gare in Mong Cai and Quang Ninh will start by the end of 2024 and are expected to attract 10 million Chinese visitors. A duty-free shop is expected to open in Nha Trang in 2025 and will accommodate 12 million international visitors including 50% Chinese. The Inter Pacific Group (IPPG), estimates duty-free shops will attract 28 million visitors annually to Vietnam, 2% of Vietnam’s population. Chinese tourists usually spend $1,022 USD per trip in Vietnam, and in 2019, revenue from Chinese visitors recorded $5.9 billion, 32% of the total revenue from international visitors

Vietnam’s Tourism was promoted at the Travel and Vacation Show held at Shaw Centre, Ottawa, on 6-7 Apr. 200 exhibitors participated in the event and 20,000 visitors participated

Lam Dong will host the 3rd Lam Dong Tourism Golden Week with the theme of “Lam Dong - A Destination for Flowers and Music” from 31 May to 6 June in Dalat City and 11 districts. The festival will feature major cultural, sports, and tourism activities. Dalat Music Night Run 2024 will be held at Ho Xuan Huong Lake on 1 Jun

Vietnam Festival featuring 17 pavilions to offer popular food and fruit was held in Tokyo on 6 Apr with the theme of “Pray for Japan”. The event is expected to draw 80,000 visitors

Tien Giang Province declared an emergency due to drought which is causing a freshwater shortage. Government agencies will transport fresh water to ponds and reservoirs to maintain fresh water supply

HCMC was awarded “Asia’s Best MICE Destination” for the 4th time at the 4th Annual World MICE Awards held in Berlin on 6 Mar. Saigontourist said it served 12,000 domestic and international MICE tourists in Q1 2024, of which 6,000 delegates visited HCMC. Vietluxtour said it recorded +35% YoY in contracts for MICE tourists in Q1 2024

892,000 tourists visited Thua Thien Hue Province in Q1 2024, +41% YoY including 447,000 international visitors, +74.6% YoY. This increase has contributed to a 21% increase in tourism revenue. The total revenue is estimated at 1,711 billion VND

A Japanese film crew from Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Tokai TV, is shooting a tourism promotion about Quang Nam and Danang. The show will be shown on 15 Jun

UN Tourism is asking its members including Vietnam to submit 8 candidates for the “Best Tourism Villages” Awards 2024. The applications will be open until 24 Apr 2024 and the selected villages will be announced in Q3 2024

100 businesses from travel agencies, accommodation, dining, entertainment, health care services, shopping centres, supermarkets, and other retail stores will join the HCMC Tourism Stimulation Programme 2024, 2X vs the pre-pandemic. During this event, 36 tourism programmes and 200,000 discount vouchers valued at over 50 billion VND for accommodation, dining, shopping, and health care services, will be offered. HCMC aims to extend visitors' stay duration and increase the average spending

Tourism agencies are utilising other modes of transportation to reduce dependence on air travel. Airfares are expected to remain high due to the shortage of aircraft in the industry. The Director of Kiwi Travel Company said flights between HCMC and Hanoi cost 5.5 million VND per trip in early Jun 2024, making it difficult to offer discounted airfares to travel companies and passengers. He said the travel agencies are trying to attract visitors to HCMC instead of promoting tourism between other provinces and HCMC. The company has launched products to promote tourism in HCMC, using double-decker buses or river bus city tours, with packages from 299,000 VND per person from the usual 799,000 VND. He added the city tour program can be combined with medical tourism, culinary tourism, or 2D/3D Can Gio, Cu Chi, and Tay Ninh tours. The Chairwoman of the HCMC Tourism Association said companies are developing new tour routes focusing on high-quality bus tours for short distances and, trains and buses for long distances usually by air. Communications and Marketing Director at TSTtourist Company said road tours with shorter distances and tours by train are budget-friendly to tourists

The Labour Ministry is gathering feedback from relevant agencies to give a full 5-day holiday for the Reunification Day (30 Apr) and Labour Day (1 May) with substitution of the work day for another day. This holiday will help to promote tourism, social consumption, and economic growth

The Vietnam Tourism Association’s Chairman said Vietnam’s tourism industry only attracts 60% of the workforce and many skilled workers have shifted to other sectors. Due to this, the accommodation sector had to rely on untrained workers to serve the tourists. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietravel said there are only 300,000 staff in the accommodation sector and during peak periods like holidays and Tet, the accommodation sector faces a staff shortage. He said the tourism workforce structure is uneven with a lack of highly skilled workers in senior management positions. He said authorities should conduct studies for the tourism workforce demand in the short and long term. He also said they should develop plans and strategies to develop the tourism workforce with overall planning, and development requirements. He added localities need to increase efforts to attract skilled experts and labourers from other priority sectors since the local workforce is insufficient. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) said the tourism industry needs about 40,000 new employees every year, and 25,000 employees need to be retrained with new skills. The Director of Vietnam National Halal Company said the industry needs a workforce with knowledge of Halal foods to serve Muslim visitors

HCMC Department of Tourism launched a 2024 stimulus program for tourism products and services with 10%-60% discounts. Nearly 100 travel agents, accommodation and restaurants, shopping and entertainment centres have signed an MoU to offer a comprehensive range of discounted options. This program will be officially launched during the HCMC Tourism Festival which will be held at 23/9 Park in District 1 from 4-7 Apr. Tourists will have packages of 23 urban tours in HCMC and 13 additional tours connecting with neighbouring areas to choose from. Restaurants, shopping, healthcare, entertainment and leisure service establishments will offer 200,000 discount vouchers with a $2 million USD in value. HCMC Department of Tourism and the Department of Industry and Trade signed a joint plan for tourism demand stimulation for the 2024-2030 period to host diverse and sustainable demand-stimulating activities

The Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) Hanoi 2024 will take place from 11-14 Apr with a theme of “Vietnam Tourism - Green Transition for Sustainable Development”. VITM Hanoi 2024 will promote responsible tourism and Vietnam’s tourism into a green economic industry

Danang accommodation sector served 1,885,000 visitors in Q1 2024, +23.4% YoY, including 636,000 international visitors, +21.6% YoY and 1.2 million domestic tourists, +24.3% YoY. In Q1 2024, average visitors spent 1.31 days per visit and international visitors spent 1.68 days. In Mar 2024, Danang recorded 2,174 billion VND in revenue from the food and accommodation sector, +5.6% MoM and 16.6% YoY. The accommodation sector alone recorded 893.6 billion VND in revenue, +3.3% MoM and +32.8% YoY. The industry welcomed 672,500 visitors in Mar 2024, +5.6% MoM and +16% YoY

The Cao Bang People's Committee and the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO will host the 8th Symposium of the Asia Pacific Geoparks Network (APGN) from 7-15 Sep 2024, with 800-1,000 delegates. This event will include meetings of the UNESCO Global Geopark Council, the APGN Coordination Committee and Advisory Committee, seminars, meetings between regional geoparks, cultural performances, exhibitions, and booths to promote Cao Bang’s tourism

In 2023, 15,000 Mongolian tourists visited Vietnam

Agoda named Hue as the destination with the lowest average accommodation rates in Vietnam for the Apr-May period

Binh Dinh welcomed 710,000 tourists including 5,000 foreigners during Amazing Binh Dinh Fest 2024 from 21-31 Mar and is estimated to earn 2.142 trillion VND in revenue. From 22-29 Mar, the province attracted 530,000 visitors to cultural, and sports events, historical sites, tourist attractions, and shopping areas. Ky Co, Eo Gio, Center for Scientific Discovery and Innovation, Linh Phong Pagoda, Ham Ho, Quang Trung Museum, Binh Dinh Provincial Museum, Ghenh Rang landscape, Cua Bien tourist area, received 291,500 tourists. Binh Dinh Province Tourism Department said the average hotel room occupancy rate reached 60%-70%. 4-star hotels in Hai Au, Saigon - Quy Nhon during the F1H2o World Championship from 29-31 Mar recorded 100% room occupancy

Southern Vietnam saw positive tourist arrivals in Q1 2024: - HCMC welcomed 8 million visitors, +6.6% YoY, including 1.38 million international visitors, +32% YoY. Tourism revenue reached 44.7 trillion VND ($1.78 billion USD) - Kien Giang Province welcomed 2.7 million visitors, +22% YoY - Dong Thap received 1.15 million tourists with tourism revenue recording 480 billion VND, +1.2%

Agoda Vietnam said Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc are popular destinations for Korean tourists. South Koreans remain the number one source of tourist arrivals with 1.2 million tourists from Jan-Mar 2024, +10% of pre-pandemic levels

Hanoi Tourism Festival 2024 will be held from 25-28 Apr at Thong Nhat Park. The event will feature 150 booths showcasing Hanoi’s destinations, tourism specialities from other cities and provinces, and food items from Hanoi’s craft villages. In Q1 2024, Hanoi welcomed 6.54 million tourists, +10.9% YoY including 1.4 million international visitors, +40% YoY

Temperature in Son La and Hoa Binh Provinces recording 40-41 degrees Celsius which usually occurs during mid-May. The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting’s Weather Forecast Department Head said the hot weather has arrived 1.5 months early in Northern Vietnam, and a month early in other parts of the country. He said average temperatures across the country in Mar were 0.5-1.5 degrees higher than normal temperatures

Danang International Fireworks Festival 2024 (DIFF) will be held from 8 Jun to 13 Jul by the Han River. 8 teams, including 7 international teams from France, Italy, the US, Germany, Poland, China, and Finland, will take part in this event. DIFF 2024 is being organised for the 12th year with the theme of “Made in Unity – Global Connection – Shining over Five Continents”. The opening of DIFF 2024 will be on 8 Jun with the theme, “Made of Unique Culture – Essence of Culture”, with performances from Vietnam and France teams. Various exhibitions, artistic and cultural performances will be held across Danang during DIFF 2024. H2O Producer from Australia will perform sports art performances on Jetski and Flyboards

3.5 million visitors, including 480,000 foreigners, joined HCMC Ao Dai Festival in Mar. The revenue from tourism activities is estimated at 15.97 trillion VND

HCMC’s Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) in Q1 2024 is estimated at 406.34 trillion VND ($16.34 billion USD), +6.54% YoY. The service sector was the most important sector of the city, contributing 71.6% growth and accounting for 65.5% of the economy. HCMC recorded $10.1 billion USD from exports, +7.5% YoY and $13.1 billion USD from imports, +3.1% YoY. Revenue from tourism increased by 23.8% to an estimated 44.71 trillion VND

Binh Thuan targets to welcome 9.5 million visitors, including 320,000 foreign tourists, and to earn 25 trillion VND in revenue from tourism in 2024. In Q1 2024, Binh Thuan welcomed 2.2 million visitors, including 121,000 foreigners, +78% YoY, and the revenue from tourism activities is estimated at 5.7 trillion VND, +6%. Booking.com stated Mui Ne is among the top 10 destinations in Vietnam searched by Asia-Pacific tourists in Q1 2024. Binh Thuan is preparing for a summer peak and to host the Hung Kings’ death anniversary from 30 Apr - 1 May

The General Statistics Office’s (GSO) 2023 Spatial Cost of Living Index shows Hanoi has the highest living costs in Vietnam, followed by HCMC. The reports show for certain categories HCMC’s cost of living is lower compared to Hanoi; - for its goods and services like clothing, hats and shoes, is 82% of Hanoi’s cost. - Tourism and entertainment costs are 91.8% of Hanoi’s prices - Household equipment, food and beverages are 5% cheaper in HCMC - But, education is 15% more expensive in HCMC. Quang Ninh ranked third at 97.9% as costly as Hanoi with goods and services, tourism, household appliances, clothing, food and beverages cheaper than Hanoi. Medicine, housing, electricity and water, and construction materials are expensive compared to Hanoi. Hai Phong and Binh Duong ranked fourth and fifth with 96% and 94.2% of Hanoi’s cost respectively. The five locations with the lowest living costs are Ben Tre, Nam Dinh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang and Gia Lai, with costs between 85.9%-87.9% compared to Hanoi. GSO said the country's economy was affected by the global situation and extreme weather patterns, and the government took some steps to maintain inflation at 3.25%

Hanoi Public Transportation Centre (HPTC) is launching an e-ticket system for bus services. HPTC Director said this will save cost and time for passengers. This system is being applied in 14 routes and will be piloted on 10 other routes. Hanoi has 154 routes with 2,200 vehicles

he 78km long Cam Lam - Vinh Hao Expressway is expected to be open in late Apr, cutting travel time between Nha Trang and HCMC by half. The project was carried out by Deo Ca Group and 194 Construction Investment Corporation with an investment of 8.925 VND trillion under a public-private partnership

Cat Hai District, Hai Phong City, hosted the “Cat Ba Xanh 2024” event on 31 Mar to kick off Cat Ba tourism for 2024

From Jan-Mar, Ben Thanh Tourist has conducted MICE tours for 8,000 domestic tourists in Hanoi, Can Tho, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Phan Thiet, Bac Lieu and Ben Tre. The company organised MICE tours for visitors from Thailand, South Korea, Japan, and China with 200-400 guests. 60% of the MICE tourists travelled by car and train. Vietluxtour recorded a +35% YoY increase in guest numbers and revenue. The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) said MICE tourism attracted investment from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and China. Hanoi aims to welcome 48-49 million tourists, including 13-14 million international visitors with revenue of 270-300 trillion VND ($10.9-12.1 billion USD)

China Duty Free, a company owned by China Tourism, signed a deal with Imex Pan Pacific Group to open 3 duty-free shops in Vietnam to attract Chinese tourists. The first outlet will be opened in Mong Cai, Quang Ninh, near the border, the second outlet will be opened next year in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province, and the third will be opened in HCMC

The Vietnam PM has called for Phu Quoc to develop in a sustainable way, and that there needs to be a greater focus on transforming Phu Quoc into a centre of services, high quality ecotourism and maritime tourism, including a focus on the green economy. he also stressed on infrastructure development and cultural development

Da Nang has launched a Enjoy Da Nang program with over 10,000 vouchers worth 5 billion VND. It will include vouchers for gastronomy, accommodation, fireworks and couples hosting their wedding parties or honeymoons in Da Nang. It saw 10,000 flights in Q1 2023, with 1.6 million pax, and it plans to restart flights connecting to Taiwan, Vientiane, Manila and Fukushima

HCMC Power Company has said that the heat waves due to El Nino could see power demands grow to new highs in April and May. Whilst it said that the city’s gris is capable for power demand, it also noted that local power outages could happen

Tuyen Quang City will host the 3rd International Hot Air Balloon Festival from 23-28 Apr. Teams from the UK, Spain, Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, China, Thailand, and Vietnam will be joining this festival. The organisers said the Nguyen Tat Thanh Square will have 22 balloons decorated with colourful lights at night. The performances will start on 27 Apr, 7pm and the competition will start on 28 Apr, 6am. The city will host other events like; Musical performances by DJs and bands from 28-30 Apr Local crafts and community-based tourism at a tourism fair from 25 Apr - 2 May A football tournament for women’s teams, folk games, and sports from 23-28 Apr

Vietnam recorded 4.6 million visitors in Q1 2024, +72% YoY and +3.2% of pre-pandemic levels. In Mar 2024, Vietnam welcomed 1.6 million international tourists, the highest in Q1 2024. The top markets are; South Korea with 1.2 million visitors, 26.6% of the total visitors China with 890,000 visitors, 19% of the total visitors Taiwan with 320,000 visitors The US with 232,000 visitors Japan, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand showed 20%-50% growth MoM Significant increases vs pre-pandemic were recorded for Q1 2024, including: Australia recorded 120% recovery Asia 104% America 103% Europe 97% China 69% India 300% Cambodia 335% Indonesia 188% Singapore 122% Spain 123% Germany 108% England 102% The US 106% Australia 122%

The General Statistics Office (GSO) said Vietnam’s GDP grew 5.66% in Q1 2024, with the service sector expanding by 2.98%, and contributing 52.23%

Phu Quoc was ranked 6th in travel magazine DestinAsian’s 10 “Best Islands” list in its 17th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards

Hospitality industry recovery is slow in 2023 with the revenue per available room (RevPAR) still low compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to Savills Vietnam. It was revealed during the “Meet the Experts” conference with 700 real estate and hospitality professionals. 85% of global markets reported higher RevPar compared to 2019. HCMC has shown a faster occupancy recovery and other beach destinations are recovering slowly. Danang recorded a strong recovery due to South Korean tourists - the city received 25 flights a day from South Korea, 50% of all international flights. Nha Trang and Cam Ranh are finding it difficult to occupy the rooms due to reliance on Chinese tourists

HCMC will host its 20th Tourism Fair from 4-7 Apr at the September 23 Park, District 1. 400 tours and travel-related products and services will be available for 50% off during the event and 40 new HCMC tours and river tours will be available for 60% off

Ha Long Bay welcomed 610,000 visitors from Jan-Mar 2024, including 82,000 domestic tourists and 529,000 international tourists. 145,000 tourists stayed overnight including 9,200 domestic and 136,000 international tourists, and total revenue from is 10 trillion VND

The Transport Ministry proposed a North-South high-speed railway with a maximum speed of 350 km/h. The system will be designed to cater for both passengers and freight

Booking.com data showed HCMC, Danang, Hanoi, Dalat, Nha Trang, and Vung Tau are the most searched tourist destinations in Vietnam in the Asia-Pacific region. Booking.com said Vietnam is among the top 3 most searched destinations in South Korea, the top 5 in Japan, and the top 10 in India

Saigontourist Deputy General Director said they served 20,000 MICE tourists from both domestic and international markets from Jan-Mar 2024

Vietnam introduced its tourist attractions during the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair 2024 from 22-24 Mar

Ha Long City, Quang Ninh, will carry out a campaign to clean up and collect waste in Ha Long Bay from 26 Mar to 20 Apr. The city will mobilise police, military, youth volunteers, and local residents for this campaign to clean the coastline and the bay

Binh Dinh is hosting the Amazing Binh Dinh Fest in Quy Nhon City featuring the UIM-ABP Aquabike World Championship (22-24 Mar) and UIM F1H20 World Championship Grand Prix of Binh Dinh (29-31 Mar)

My Son Sanctuary welcomed 123,000 visitors, including 110,000 international visitors, in Q1 2024, +50% YoY

HCMC and Laos are looking to strengthen cooperation including for tourism

Downtown Hanoi recorded a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on 25 Mar, with no damage recorded

2,200 people from 38 countries participated in the Vietnam Ultra Marathon (VUM) 2024 which was held in Mai Chau District, Hoa Binh

Saigontourist Group Culinary Culture, Delicacies Festival 2024 will be held from 28-31 Mar at Van Thanh Tourist Area, Binh Thanh District, HCMC for the third time. The event will host 400 foods from 3 regions of Vietnam. Culinary brands from 4 and 5-star hotels, resorts, and restaurants in HCMC and around Vietnam will join the event

Vinh Long Province hosted an investment promotion conference to advertise for potential and development orientation. The province will attract investments with its investment promotion program in 2024 for hi-tech industries, agriculture, environmental sustainability, urban development, trade and services, and tourism

My Son Sanctuary, Quang Nam Province welcomed 123,000 visitors including 110,000 foreigners, in Q1 2024, +50% YoY

The Tourism Promotion Organisation for Global Cities (TPO) organised a regional meeting in Dalat City on 21 Mar to boost regional connectivity for tourism development. TPO Secretary General and representatives from Hanoi, Phan Thiet, Dalat, HCMC, Vung Tau, and Long An attended