Vietnam

Schools in HCMC will enjoy an 11-day holiday for Tet from 6-10 Feb

Thousands of tourists attended the Korean Culture Day in Sapa, organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea

Mui Ne has been recognised as a national tourist site, in a move which will help the development of Binh Thuan’s tourism and Mui Ne as high-end tourism spot

An evening tour, “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long” will be launched later in the year in Hanoi

Vntrip has raised $7 million USD in an extended series B round of funding

Elephant rides in the Central Highlands are set to be banned as the Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism look at other elephant-related activities

HCMC has launched a domestic stimulus program from 23 Oct until the year-end which includes nearly 100 tourism businesses with discounted prices

A workshop on national tourism area management was held in Binh Thuan on 24 Oct, with over 200 attendees. Recommendations from the workshop will form the basis for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to propose a national tourism management model

The Vietnam Jungle Marathon will go ahead on 24 Oct, with more than 1,100 runners in Thanh Hoa province

Bilateral tourism cooperation was discussed between India and Vietnam

$21.52 million USD has been granted by the government to 5 central provinces hit by historic flooding and deadly landslides, with at least 114 people killed and 170,000 houses submerged

The PM has instructed HCMC and Hanoi to strictly enforce face mask wearing in public

Hyatt Regency West Hanoi has opened, the first Hyatt hotel in Hanoi

Vietnamese workers in heavily impacted sectors such as tourism will have the chance to go on short training courses which will help them to reskill into different fields

Danang held an online seminar for Malaysian and Singaporean trade participants, highlighting it as a safe destination and its strengths post-pandemic

An agreement between Vietnam and Japan for short-term travel (less than 14 days) between the 2 countries will be applicable from 1 Nov, with priority cases exempted from quarantine, provided that they are tested prior to departure, on arrival, provide their itinerary and only travel to work-related locations

Quang Ninh province is aiming to attract 3 million visitors in Q3, with 30 events scheduled for the rest of the year. They will prioritise the HCMC markets, southern localities, central and central highland provinces and northeastern provinces and have developed new products at competitive prices. Jan-Sep arrival numbers were 5.8 million, half of 2019’s figures for the same period

The Vietnam Chefs Association has wanted that there are not enough qualified people in the culinary hospitality sector

Traveloka have said that their domestic booking numbers are on a positive transaction trend in Vietnam, with numbers returning to their pre-pandemic levels

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) is running a promotional video about Vietnam with CNN Asia from 15 Oct for 6 weeks under a “Why not Vietnam?” campaign

Vinh Phuc province are looking to attract more investment into tourism to make it into a leading economic sector

The VPBank Hanoi Marathon will take place on 18 Oct, with 3,000 racers in Hanoi and 8,000-10,000 runners joining in mini race spots throughout Vietnam and ASEAN. It marks the first full-scale event to take place after the country’s 2nd wave

Ninh Binh province launched its new tourism promotion on 15 Oct, with over 200 travel businesses attending. From Jan-Oct, the province has had 2.1 million tourists, -68% YoY and revenue -61%

Ba Ria-Vung Tau will launch hot air balloons in Oct, which would be available daily

A Safe Trip in Vietnam app has been launched – it will help tourists find information about tourism destinations as well as the safety levels and how the pandemic is controlled in the places they are visiting. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) also estimates that inbound foreign tourists to Vietnam would drop by at least 70%, whilst outbound tourists would drop by 85%, leading to total national tourism income decreasing by 61% YoY

A museum dedicated to To Huu, a famous poet, has been opened in Hanoi

Hoa Binh has launched its 2nd domestic tourism stimulus program, targeting not only domestic but also expat tourists. The region also organised a fam trip for travel and media companies to highlight its ecotourism. The number of visitors in 2020 has only reached 39.4% of its target

HCMC launched its “Hello HCMC” campaign will highlight 5 aspects of the city’s tourism: futuristic, open, youthful, colourful, and exciting. The city’s tourism department will also begin to carry out overseas tourism marketing early next year

An additional 14 hotels in HCMC have been designated quarantine facilities, bringing the number to 24 in total

Southeast Vietnamese provinces are partnering together in a joint tourism promotional campaign called “7 localities – safe and interesting tourism”. In Ba Ria-Vung Tau, 100% of tourism establishments have planned promotions with up to 30% off, with attraction fees decreasing in price from 10-30% too

Ninh Binh will be developing tours to discover the urban nightlife. A conference of 200 public and private representatives met to find solutions for promoting tourism, and night activities were identified as a target for encouraging tourist spend. They also considered running weekday promotions, to spread the load

HCMC is hosting the Áo Dài festival from 11 Oct, with 500 designs by prestigious designers. It aims to kickstart tourism

Japan and Vietnam are soon coming to an agreement to allow business travel between the 2 countries as early as this month

A survey by Indochina Capital and Wink Hotels has shown that 68% of Vietnamese plan to resume domestic travels by Q4 2020. 64% of travellers use OTAs to book, and 91% rely on digital adverts for hotel browsing

Foreigners entering Vietnam who want to travel further afield to provinces will be taken there to their quarantine facilities once they land at HCMC

Vietnam National Administration of Vietnam (VNAT) will launch a new app on 10 Oct to help visitors to check the safety of destinations. It will include information on tourism businesses, transport providers, etc who have submitted their safety status

A National Council for Cultural Heritage has been established by the PM to help safeguard national relics and treasures

VNAT expect that 2021 will continue to be a challenging year. Savills Hotel APAC also have seen increased hotel bookings in Sep and Oct, and the country is now on the road to recovery once more

Vietnam will reduce 4,000 workers from its civil service, and frozen new hiring. The General Statistics Office has shown that 14% of the labour force had lost their jobs from Jan-Sep, with 99% of jobs in the aviation sector lost, followed by tourism at 43% and hospitality at 28%

Vietnam has temporarily suspended regular international inbound commercial flights after inconsistent management methods and quarantine procedures for passengers were discovered, particularly when it comes to Vietnamese citizens on international flights

Short training courses for 1,000 workers affected by COVID-19, including those form the tourism industry, will be run by the German development agency and the Department of Labours, Invalids and Social Affairs in 8 cities and provinces

Booking.com has revealed that the average distance which Vietnamese travelled from Jun-Aug has shrunk by 33% YoY, but in general, Vietnamese still travelled more than the global average. Top booked domestic travel destinations include: HCMC, Hanoi, Vung Tau, Danang, Dalat, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Hoi An, Quy Nhon and Halong

Vietjet has now restored its domestic network and increased frequency to 250 flights/ day, with certain routes maximised for year-end travel

The cost of the Long Thanh Airport in Dong Nai has been cut by 103.5 million USD. The council has said that it will be difficult to reach its 2025 completion target date

Japan will lift its travel advisories for citizens to travel to Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macao, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan

Vietnamese hotels being used for quarantine purposes must have ‘buffer rooms’, one room empty in between quarantine rooms. HCMC currently has 10 designated hotels for quarantine, 2 of which are designated for cabin crew use. The HCMC tourism department has recommended adding 16 hotels, including budget hotels to offer travellers more choice

Hai Phong city have locked down a hotel after a Japanese business traveller tested positive upon arrival to Japan after departing from Vietnam

1,300 tourism businesses have been affected in HCMC

A rail link between Phnom Penh to Bavet, on the border with Vietnam, is being considered. Vietnam would then build a rail link from Bavet to HCMC

Tourism agents will reduce their prices by 50% to the Ba Ria – Vung Tau province during the 2nd phase of its stimulus program. Many tour operators are reporting that sales are only at 30% of the Jun and Jul’s numbers

A tourism stimulus program in the SE region has been launched, with 7 localities, including HCMC, Vung Tau, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai and Tay Ninh. The locations will work together to promote the SE region as a safe one with a digital regional travel map designed to make it easy for tourists to find safe destinations and tourism products

Russian travel companies in Khanh Hoa are proposing opening up the region to Russian tourists from Nov on chartered flights. The country is the second largest source market for Khanh Hoa

Businesses affected by the pandemic will have more opportunities to get funding if a government proposal of a 2.6 billion USD package is agreed

Singapore has removed quarantine restrictions on travellers arriving from Vietnam, allowing them to make short-term visits. The Singapore Transport Minister has said that their counterparts in Vietnam are considering reciprocating the restrictions for Singaporeans arriving into their countries, but currently they would face quarantine on arrival

The Department of Tourism for Danang, with Vietnam Airlines, will host the first tourists back to Danang from 4-6 Oct. Its Aug tourist arrivals dropped 95.5% YoY due to the 2nd wave outbreak originating from the city

A 30% corporate income tax cut for selected businesses for the 2020 financial year has been approved

Hotels in Yen Bai province are seeing a large number of domestic tourists as part of the Mu Cang Chai terraced field festival. Activities in the festival include a marathon, helicopter cruise and a camping festival. Sapa in Lao Cai province has also launched a “I love Sapa” campaign on 30 Sep, with a varied cultural program to attract tourists. Lao Cai’s visitors from Jan-Sep have declined 67% YoY to 1.3 million, and revenue -70% YoY. Lao Cai are hoping to attract 2.5 million visitors by YE 2020

HCMC has launched a 2nd stimulus worth $517 million USD for SMEs. It includes preferential loans to allow workers to retain workers and maintain production. Around 100,000-120,000 tourism workers have lost their jobs, with 4,400 tourism businesses affected

HCMC authorities have announced quarantine fees to avoid further disagreements from tourists about fees

HCMC is aiming to become a regional healthcare hub to attract tourists to visit, using traditional medicine as a highlight

Consumer confidence is at the lowest level for 20 years according to a poll

100 Vietnamese passengers who returned to HCMC from Seoul refused to be quarantined, saying the charges were unaffordable and were different to what had been mentioned prior to arrival. The passengers were later taken to a centralised quarantine facility

HCMC have launched a new campaign to promote the city, called “Hello Ho Chi Minh City”. It has 2 phases – the 1st focuses on promoting the city as a safe, friendly place, including the Ao Dai Fstival and interprovincial cooperation. The 2nd phase is to promote the official identity of HCMC, with conferences linked to events such as the International Marathon, and also boost promotion through international channels

Foreigners who entered Vietnam from 1 Mar will have their temporary stay permits renewed automatically until 31 Oct

Hanoi is targeting 35-39 million tourists by 2025, with 8-9 million international arrivals. By 2030, that would increase to 48-49 million total tourists, 13-14 million of which international arrivals. The city will focus on boosting tourism infrastructure and conservation projects

Vietnam’s Jan-Sep international arrivals fell 70% YoY to just 3.78 million. Sep alone dropped 99% to 13,800, mainly foreign experts, highly-skilled workers and students. Tourism revenue Jan-Sep is down 56.3% YoY, with the biggest impacts on Khanh Hoa province, HCMC and Quang Nam

The Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism have launched their 2nd domestic stimulus program, “Safe and Attractive Vietnam”

The Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) forecasts that international visitors to Vietnam will decline by at least 70% YoY, and domestic tourists will be reduced by 50%. They are encouraging tourism businesses to transform digitally, to reach more consumers and reduce costs

Saigon Railways have started to sell their group Tet tickets for 2021

Vietnam is targeting a 7% GDP growth rate, and a $5,000 USD per capita income from 2021 to 2025. 2020’s per capita income stands at $2,750 USD

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) is making plans for inbound tourists in its 2nd stimulus program, which will focus on year-end festivals, and MICE travellers

HCMC is considering opening more walking zones on weekends, to encourage residents and tourists to visit

Confidence in business activities of SMEs has fallen to its lowest levels since 2009 when the index began

Many hotels in Hanoi’s Old Quarter are being sold after incurring big losses. VNAT have said that occupancy in Hanoi is less than 10%

Foreigners who are entering HCMC for less than 14 days and are not quarantined are being tested for COVID-19 upon arrival, and then every 2 days after. They are only permitted out from their accommodation to attend meetings and field trips

Hanoi will hold the Dragon Dance Festival on 3 Oct, as part of its Thang Long celebrations

HCMC is looking to build more public parks and greenery over the next decade and to plant 50,000 trees by 2030

Hanoi Theatre Festival will open on 26 Sep, with 14 productions and forms part of the Thang Long festival

A conference held by Vietnam National Administration (VNAT) and VNExpress agreed that “safety and attraction” should be the motto for the developing tourism industry

Danang has returned to normal from the 25 Sep, after the 2nd wave was controlled

The first commercial international flight into Vietnam arrived in Hanoi from Seoul on 25 Sep after months of hiatus. The flight was a trial to test procedures for receiving international passengers, with around 100 arriving. Flights between the 2 countries will reopen this month, with 2 flights/ week

Vietnam is boosting the production of test kits, with over 20,000 pax expected to arrive in Vietnam per month. The country’s largest producer of the kits is now making 100,000 per day, which can be increased by 5 times if necessary

Danang will reopen bars, clubs and karaoke parlours on 25 Sep

Vietnam was ranked 13th best holiday destination to visit in 2021 by CNTraveller

A survey conducted by VNExpress and Vietnam’s Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) revealed that: • 41% of respondents said they had made plans to travel between Sep-Nov 2020, whilst 20% plan to travel in Dec • 47% preferred trips of 2-3 days, and Lam Dong Province came out as the most popular destination (23.6%) • 56% said that COVID-19 safety would be the leading decision factor for choosing a destination • 63% planned to book hotels and tours on online platforms • 57% worried about visiting tourists hotspots which were centres of the pandemic

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has asked the PM for urgent support for tourism businesses, such as delaying repayments of loan interest, as 95% of businesses have stopped operations. They reported just 10% occupancy during the 2nd wave. They are also asking for a cut to VAT levels from 10% to 5%, and more favourable conditions for businesses to be able to qualify for support

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has submitted its plans for airlines to bring international pax into the country. There will be 9 inbound flights a week landing at Hanoi and HCMC airports, split between Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air. International carriers allowed to return include Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, China Airline and EVA Air. Airlines must only process bookings for customers who have the details of their quarantine facility, and the host organisation who will receive them. On check-in, they will need to show a negative test result within 3 days of boarding, which must be certified by the local embassy. They must wear face masks, install the contact tracing app Bluezone, and fill out health forms. Entrants are still limited to foreign investors, business executives, experts, highly skilled workers, diplomats, international students – and their family – along with returning Vietnamese and their relatives

The traditional festival in An Sinh Temple in Quang Ninh will be cancelled to stop the spread of the pandemic

Hanoi is proposing a 39km long metro line worth $2.8 billion USD, to ease traffic congestion. Construction would start in 2022, with completion estimated for 2026

Property Consultant CBRE has said that hotel occupancy rates remain low in Vietnam, with many of them cutting their rates sharply to attract visitors

Hanoi is preparing for a surge in domestic tourists once more, with the Thang Long festival, celebrating 1,010 years since the city was established as the capital of the country. Its overall arrival numbers for Aug YTD are down 67.3% YoY. The Hanoi Tourism Department is working to diversify products and introduce new stimulus programs

Ang Giang province plans to cooperate with HCMC City and the Mekong Delta provinces to revive tourism. They will work together to launch new tours. Overall arrivals Aug YTD were 4.8 million, a drop of 40% YoY

Sun World Ba Na Hills has reopened on 20 Sep. Each visitor to the complex until the year-end will be entitled to a free buffet

ESTA, the US visa service company, has revealed that Vietnam was the 31st most searched for place for a holiday post-pandemic

Foreigners and Vietnamese returning to Vietnam who want to stay in government quarantine facilities would need to pay a minimum of $5.16 USD per day

The Ministry of Culture, Sports & Tourism have asked tourism associations, tourism departments and businesses to continue domestic tourism stimulus measures in 2020. They should develop high-quality products with flexible refunding and change policies

Hanoi will hold the twice-postponed Vietnam International Travel Mart from 18-21 Nov, under a new theme: Digital transformation boosts Vietnamese tourism’s development

HCMC has proposed allowing 7,000 foreign experts entry into the city

A forum was held on Vietnam-India tourism cooperation post-pandemic

Air tickets will only be allowed to be sold to foreign passengers who have entry visas and pre-booked accommodation, the Transportation Ministry has stated

Quang Ninh has extended its sightseeing discount programme between 9 Sep – 31 Dec, allowing 50% off for Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Museum and the Yen Tu relic, whilst on certain days, entrance will be free. Passengers who arrived into Van Don International Airport will also receive free round-trip bus journeys to Halong Bay and Uong Bi cities. Tourism arrivals into the province by Aug YTD were more than 5.7 million, around a 50% decrease YoY

The Ministry of Labor has proposed 2 options for a 7-day break over Tet 2021, either 10-16 Feb or 11-17 Feb. An official proposal will be submitted soon

The ADB expects Vietnam’s economy to grow by just 1.8% in 2020 in its latest forecast, whilst 2021’s growth would be 6.3%. The growth will be backed by macroeconomic stability and increased public spending

The government has permitted the Transport Ministry to restart commercial international flights to mainland China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan from September 15, followed by Laos, Cambodia from September 22. They have also extended the categories of foreigners allowed entry to include international students and family of Vietnamese citizens

HCMC is ready to receive foreign arrivals, the city has confirmed

2.4 million workers have lost their jobs in H1 across all sectors

Ha Thinh province has suggested building an international airport which would operate flights to Taiwan and South Korea

Can Gio district will become an ecological urban area, preserving its mangrove forests, whilst urbanising it

Hanoi will allow bars, karaoke clubs and clubs to reopen from 15 Sep, and Hoan Kiem district’s pedestrian street around the lake will reopen on 18 Sep

All tourism activities will be allowed once more in Thua Thien-Hue (Hue)

Social distancing on public transportation from Danang has been lifted

Vietnam Airlines will increase its domestic flight frequencies

Vinpearl, a major hospitality company in Vietnam, has had losses of $220 million USD in H1

Hanoi’s tour companies are launching special discounted packages again, focusing on the autumn season

Travellers arriving to HCMC from Danang will no longer be tested for COVID-19, but will still need to visit medical centres to make declarations

Vietnam recorded 10 consecutive days without any local transmission

Many train routes resumed trips on 11 Sep to tourism destinations

Hanoi is preparing to reopen certain activities to help recover the economic activity of the city

Vietnam Airlines will resume international one-way flights between Vietnam and Japan from 18 Sep. The airline has said it is building a plan to resume flights to South Korea, China, Taiwan (China), Laos and Cambodia

Foreigners entering Vietnam on commercial flights will need to undergo centralised quarantine from 5-7 days. 20,000 passengers are expected to arrive on these flights each month, including Vietnamese citizens, foreign experts, and investors. Tourists will not be permitted yet. They will need to have a negative certificate prior to departure, and will be tested on arrival twice. Foreign passengers will need to pay for all quarantine and testing, as well as install the app Bluezone

Vietnam is urging ASEAN to look into “tourism travel bubbles” within the region

Hanoi is looking at a pilot scheme to allow catering, entertainment and shopping to operate in Hoan Kiem overnight, with outdoor activities and heritage sites open until midnight. A new pedestrian area would also be developed

Khanh Hoa is planning to revive its tourism in Q4 with a domestic tourism stimulus, as well as new MICE and leisure packages. They aim to have 350,000 visitors in Q4, including 10,000 foreigners

Tinh Tam Lake in Hue City has reopened to visitors after being closed for one year of restoration

Vietnam is looking at proposals allowing foreigners (experts, managers, high-skilled workers, investors, diplomats, etc) to quarantine in hotel-type lodgings

Vietnamese airlines will increase flight frequencies to Danang from Hanoi and HCMC from 11 Sep

The first surf pool in Vietnam will open under a Surf the Wave real estate project, as part of a lifestyle hub in HCMC

Beaches in Danang will be allowed to reopen and restaurants offer dine-in services from 11 Sep. Non-essential businesses like bars and gyms will still remain closed. Students from 6th-12th grade will return to school from 14 Sep

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is proposing a stimulus package of 5 trillion VND, with 10 million vouchers for tourists to receive 10% off a full package tour. The program is expected to attract 10 million domestic tourists, boosting the number of domestic travellers to 30 million and generating 800 billion VND

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control have said that Vietnam must now "live safely with the pandemic", and will hire firms to test passengers at airports to be able to handle more arrivals

HCMC will continue to test travellers arriving from Danang, whilst Hanoi still requires passengers arriving from Danang to self-isolate for 14 days

All passenger transportation will be resumed to Danang from 7 Sep

Hong Kong has said that they are in talks with 6 nations to establish travel bubbles – including Vietnam, who had reciprocated interest

Ba Thuoc district has been upgrading infrastructure facilities and organising training for tourism service providers, to improve the potential of tourism in the area

Domestic flights resumed to Danang on 7 Sep, after being suspended for one month. All carriers must have social distancing, and passengers must wear face masks

A survey has shown that 42.7% of Vietnamese millennial travellers regularly use their mobile phones to find travel information

The government has revised its economic growth target to 2% from 2.5% for 2020. They have also proposed not to raise the minimum wage in 2021, the first time in 25 years

Bars, clubs, festivals, fairs and conferences will be permitted in HCMC once more, although locals are encouraged to wear masks

Quang Nam has allowed the reopening of non-essential businesses and gatherings of more than 20 pax are permitted. Travel companies can organise tours and receive visitors from Danang City as well as other areas affected by the 2nd wave, However, certain restrictions such as wearing face masks in public are still in place

Vietnamese tourism companies do not see much benefit for the start of international flights to 6 Asian destinations, as they feel it is mainly for business travellers rather than tourists

The Danang vice-chairman has suggested restarting interprovincial transportation links between Danang and the rest of Vietnam

A $51 million USD golf course will be built in Danang by VinaCapital

Vietnam still predicts a growth of 2-2.5% in 2020, with 6.7% predicted for next year

950 hotels in Hanoi closed by the end of Aug, affecting 16,000 workers, the Hanoi Department of Tourism revealed. It also noted that high-end hotels were particularly affected, due to the large share international customers have. The average occupancy rate from Jan-Aug was 10.6%, a decrease of 53.4% YoY

Foreign tourists will no longer need a travel permit to visit Phu Quy Island in Binh Thuan Province, a process which previously could take up to 4 days. By 2030, the island expects to have 42,000 tourists, 6,000 of which would be international

Danang will loosen its lockdown from 5 Sep. Now, eateries are allowed to open for online services and public transport can carry 50% capacity. Events are still limited to 20 pax in public places, and non-essential services remain suspended

HCMC has suggested financial assistance of $43 USD be given to more employees who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, including those at tourist sites

Foreigners who enter Vietnam on a short business trip of less than 14 days (foreign investors, experts, highly skilled workers, business managers and their families) may not have to undergo 14 days of quarantine – but there will be stringent procedures for them to follow. All expenses should be covered by the host. For those foreigners entering to sign contracts or participate in meetings, the venue should be close to the border gates to minimise contact. They would also need to stay in their designated accommodation facility, and follow the scheduled itinerary

A Thai minister has suggested that foreigners visiting Thailand for MICE could be allowed to skip the 14-day quarantine, whilst the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is also proposing a Special Journey scheme for business people to enter without quarantine, too, if they followed certain protocols

HCMC has seen over 327,000 people lose jobs across all sectors in H1, with another 180,000 expected by year-end, the “worst-case scenario”. The municipal government is urging the labor ministry to support companies with a $2.67 billion USD support package, as well as calling for employees to be more understanding of a lower salary. The city has also proposed its own support package to support workers in industries heavily impacted, such as tourism

Bus tickets for the National Day holiday in HCMC have dropped by 55% vs 2019, with just 14,000 sold on 1 Sep. Since the Jul outbreak, the numbers of pax through the Mien Dong Bus Station, the largest in Vietnam, has dropped by 21,000 each day

HCMC’s domestic travel stimulus program restarted on 31 Aug, with discounted travel and attractions for the public holiday on National Day (2 Sep)

The biggest declines in tourism revenue from Jan – Aug were seen in Khanh Hoa Province (-76.6%), HCMC (-72.1%) and Ba Ria-Vung Tau (-67.2%)

Many tourism workers have turned to setting up their own ecommerce stores to generate income

Jan – Aug saw 3.8 million international visitors to Vietnam, a drop of 66.6% YoY. Aug saw 163,000 foreigners to Vietnam, increasing 16.9% vs Jul, but down 98.9% YoY

A new “Green Travel” section on the national tourism board website has been launched, an initiative between the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) and the Swiss Sustainable Tourism Programme (SSTP). It lists reputable businesses who follow sustainable principles

Vietravel have said that tourists are booking short-distance trips for the National Day holiday on 2 Sep, and that all of their group tours stopped after the 2nd wave. Luxury staycations are also another alternative for travellers

The new HCMC – Vung Tau ferry will be suspended until Oct, after being rescheduled to launch on 2 Sep

Quang Nam has ended social distancing on 28 Aug after no new cases for 9 days. However, festivals, religious events, sports and non-essential services like clubs and bars remain closed. Hotels are allowed to open but all employees must have protective suits issued to it

Between 19 Jul – 18 Aug, Vietnam’s air carriers’ flights were down 45.7% YoY, in a period which is usually high season, due to the demand being tempered by the 2nd wave. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet both saw a YoY drop of 48% in flights operated. Bamboo Airlines was the only airline to have an increase of 21%, due to it only starting operations in 2019. They also all saw a double digit decline in flights vs the 19 Jun-18 Jul period, with 490 flights cancelled

The PM has asked ministries to accelerate the approval of visas for investors and foreign experts to enter the country, and asked the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health to devise a plan for COVID19 treatment fee collection. He also proposed resuming international commercial flights to certain countries

The government is proposing a $798 million USD budget for support for SMEs, where businesses can borrow up to 2 billion VND

The Danang outbreak has changed domestic tourism patterns once again, with older travellers staying at home, and younger travellers choosing to limit travel plans within a day’s drive of their home city, in case they need to suddenly return home

The HCMC Department of Tourism has said that it is very difficult for tourism businesses to be able to access aid under the government’s relief package, and just 7 businesses have managed to get interest rates on their bank loans reduced

CBRE Vietnam have predicted that the outlook for Vietnam’s tourism sector is still positive, but that for 2020-2021 it is expected to be in defensive mode

Mui Ne has been recognised as a national tourist site, and is expected to play an important role in the recovery of tourism in the south-central coastal region, becoming a leading APAC destination by 2030. By 2025, they aim to welcome 9 million tourists

Many tour guides are unable to access the government’s relief packages, with complicated procedures

HCMC’s municipal Department of Tourism has come up with 2 scenarios to help revive tourism: 1. If the outbreak is contained by Sep, they will launch domestic promotions to introduce new and safe products 2. If the outbreak lasts until the YE, they will focus on workforce restructuring and training and product building

Hanoi will provide free wifi at tourist attractions in four districts and one town

Quang Ninh has been implementing smart city technology and smart tourism infrastructure, with an integrated tourism data portal. They are planning to launch their smart tourism administration centre by the end of the year

Hanoi’s walking streets have been closed from 21 Aug, to prevent crowds gathering

The government has said that they have decreasing numbers of cases in Danang and Quang Nam over the past few days, and that it is under control

Developing Halong city’s night-time economy will be a priority for their developmental goals, the municipal People’s Committee has said. One of the central parts of this is to develop 12 pedestrian streets and squares to attract tourists

Hanoi’s West Lake Temple has been closed after 4,000 people visited on the first day of the seventh lunar month. Other stricter social distancing measures have been implemented in Hanoi, including 1-metre apart seating at F&B establishments, wearing of masks by staff at restaurants and cafes, citizens to stay home unless necessary, and the wearing of face masks outdoors

Exploring Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex by kayak is now possible, as part of the campaign “Vietnamese People Travel Within Vietnam.”

HCMC’s tourism businesses should ensure that they are following the health protocols, the Department of Tourism has reminded them

Abercrombie & Kent Vietnam are launching private tours aimed at domestic corporate travellers, including team building and incentive tours for groups of 10 pax onwards

The Asian Development Bank’s new report shows that youth unemployment could reach 13.2% in 2020, a doubling of 2019’s 6.9% rate if it takes 6 months to get the COVID-19 situation under control. A 3-month containment could see youth unemployment rise to 10.8%. The hotels and restaurants sector accounts for 13.6% of youth job losses

Schools will reopen for the new academic year on 1 Sep, with a shorter school holiday than usual

Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi has had its planning schemes adjusted, with the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) projecting it to handle 63 million pax per year by 2030, and 100 million by 2050. The new plans include a 4th runway, as well as plans for a terminal 4 and 5

The Ministry of Health has said that the Danang outbreak is expected to be under control by the end of Aug. After another cluster was detected in Hai Duong Province, 15 days of social distancing has also been imposed

Agro-tourism has been becoming more popular, with farmers being able to earn additional revenue from tourism. Long Khanh City has seen more than 200 households take part in this model, with 100,000 visitors over the last 2 years, and an estimated revenue of $2.5 million USD

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum will reopen to visitors from 15 Aug

Further guidelines have been published regarding the 30% corporate tax cut – it would apply to companies who had a revenue of less than $8.62 million USD in 2020

Hue has approved a new 4,000 sqm night market to be set up as a tourist destination, and will be open between 6pm – 5am every day

Vietnam Railways have reported that passengers cancelled bookings of up to 25 billion VND in the first week of Aug

The PM has urged Phu Tho, a northern midland province, to develop its tourism infrastructure and promote its local specialities through tourism

A new survey on changed Vietnamese travel habits has shown: • Travellers plan to spend more days (10) and higher budget (15.4 million VND) travelling domestically in 2020 • Travellers tend to go with less people, and book onto packaged tours as they have great value • Destinations closer to home, and avoiding air travel are prioritised

More festivals have been cancelled or postponed, including the Sapa Rose and Wine Festival planned for 21-23 Aug and the Buon Ma Thuoc coffee festival planned for 9-16 Mar 2021. HCMC’s annual Ao Dai festival may now be moved online

Quang Nam has extended its social distancing, with all public transport and entertainment services banned

Cruise ship owners in Halong Bay have asked to suspend operations, due to financial constraints. 500 cruise ships in the area have serviced just 100-200 tourists per day. The ship owners have not been included in the government’s financial support package

HCMC’s Department of Tourism has said that they need help from the government with relief and credit packages for firms to survive. 70% of travel companies had restarted operations in May, but now 35,000 bookings have been cancelled, creating losses of $906,300 USD. 90% of travel agents have now temporarily closed, with many staff on unpaid leave, and 90% of hotel staff have been made redundant or put on unpaid leave. Only 10 tour guides have managed to obtain financial support from the government, out of 5,864, with many tourism businesses finding it extremely difficult to obtain funds from banks

Hanoi Redtours don’t see the domestic market rebounding until October, and expect revenue to fall 70% vs 2019, with likely losses. Other companies such as Saigontourist have seen 95% of customers cancel tours, 13,000 pax

Hanoi aims to have tested 75,000 people who visited Danang by 20 Aug

Danang has extended social distancing indefinitely, with gatherings limited to 2 people and household shopping to once every 3 days. Residents are only permitted to leave the home for essential needs

Phu Quoc is urgently completing procedures to be able to be recognised as a “city”, which will allow it to expand as a tourism destination. Its arrivals grew from 300,000 in 2010 to 4 million in 2019

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is making plans to help the market recovery, working with localities. They will also continue to support tourism businesses who have encountered trouble in applying for government incentives due to complicated processes. By the end of Aug, they expect the cancellation rate to hit close to 90% in many destinations

Phu Quoc is investing more in agro-tourism products, aiming to create more by 2025

An Agoda survey has shown: • 87% of Vietnamese are ready to travel • Most popular destinations for next trips include Danang, Dalat and Nha Trang • 42% chose beach as their most popular destination type, followed by nature at 37%

All public parks, playgrounds and entertainment centres have been closed in HCMC

Hanoi will perform 50,000 COVID tests for returnees from Danang from 7 Aug

Tourists from Danang to HCMC will be taken into 14-day quarantine at designated centres. 700 tourists are still stuck in Danang

The HCMC Tourism Association has called for customers to be understanding after cancellation of their tours, and to accept a change of date rather than a cash refund, as over 35,000 tours have been cancelled

A $9.3 billion USD housing and tourism development in the Can Gio mangrove forest near HCMC has been approved, despite environmental concerns from opposing groups

21,000 Vietravel customers have cancelled tours or asked to change date, with an estimated $3.8 million USD in damages from July. Late payments from customers to travel agents has also become more common, with consumers concerned about making final payments for tours. Prior to the resurgence, agents such as Vietravel and Top Travel were operating domestic tours at full capacity

Hanoi is now at a “very high” risk of virus transmission

The Deputy PM has said that Danang City and Quang Nam province have brought new outbreaks under control, but the number of new cases and deaths will rise

The Thien Minh Group, a Vietnamese tourism player, had been expecting tourism In Jul to reach 90% of pre-COVID levels, before the outbreak. They noted that their domestic travel had started to perform even better than last year, due to limited travel options for Vietnamese. They have found that Vietnamese domestic travellers are booking last minute, typically 24 hrs prior

Vietnam still intends to reopen 6 international routes with one flight/ week. Vietnam Airlines would be the only airline permitted to undertake these

Many tourism companies listed on the Vietnam stock exchange have seen their revenues in Q2 fall 70-80% YoY. Vietravel’s H1 revenue was -72% YoY, with a loss of more than 76 billion VND. It forecasts revenue to fall by 60% YoY, with a loss of 22 billion after 20 years of profits. Hoi An Tourist Service Joint Stock Company saw a loss of 8.4 billion VND in Q2

Kien Giang province saw nearly 1 million visitors in Jul, an increase of 75.3% vs. Jun 2020

Vietnam has seen positive signs of economic recovery, with the highest trade surplus in 4 years

The finalisation of the proposal for Sapa’s new airport has been urged, to allow for further economic development for the Lao Cai region

The PM has called for social distancing to be “reasonable” and to minimise the impact on socio-economic activities

3.5 – 5 million workers could be forced to take unpaid leave or lower working hours in Q3. Worst-case scenarios could see 60,000 – 70,000 workers lose jobs in the tourism, construction, transportation and manufacturing industries. The unemployment rate is at 4.45% for Q2, the highest rate in urban areas for 10 years

The Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research has said that there is a possibility that Vietnam’s GDP will contract in 2020. Its earlier prediction of 2.2% or 3.8% did not take into account a resurgence of new cases. If major economic centres go under lockdown, “a zero growth rate would be a huge success”

The government does not plan for a nationwide lockdown, and will only implement social distancing in COVID epicentres. The PM has said that early Aug would be a decisive period for Vietnam

Jetstar Pacific has now completed its rebrand to Pacific Airlines, with the new look debuting on 31 Jul, with a new cabin crew uniform. It will remain as a separate, low-cost arm

Vietnam has had its first 5 deaths from COVID-19, the first on 31 Jul

Danang city are planning to test the entire population of 1.1 million people, with testing capacity increased to 8,000 – 10,000 per day. New cases have been detected in Hanoi and HCMC, linked to Danang

The HCMC Tourism Association has asked the Department of Tourism of Khanh Hoa Province and the Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa Tourism Association to help support negotiations to cancel and postpone tours due to the latest outbreak in Vietnam. Travel companies are reporting tours being cancelled not only in destinations affected by COVID-19 and that the customers are demanding a 100% refund

The director of Hanoitourist company and vice chairman of the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents (VISTA) has said that he believes that the SE Asian markets, Taipei, Japan and South Korea would recover the fastest for inbound to Vietnam, but that this should be a phased recovery. He also thinks that Vietnam needs a “comprehensive strategy” to offer competitive and diverse products, whilst focusing on Vietnam as a safe destination

Hue Festival has been cancelled, previously due to be held from 26-31 Aug after its original postponement from Apr. The Traditional Culture Festival of Khanh Hoa, scheduled for 1 Aug and the Cai Rang Floating Market Culture and Tourism Festival have also been cancelled

Up to 800,000 visitors have now left Danang since 1 Jul

Jan – Jul saw 3.8 million foreign visitors, a drop of 61.6% YoY. July saw 139,000 foreigners arrive in Vietnam mainly by road, down 98.9% YoY. Domestic tourists saw a 1.5 times increase over Jun 2020 in many localities

The chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board has said, “I think we're looking at some time into next year before we can really see non-quarantine travel from anywhere.”

Quang Nam Province and Phu Yen Province have suspended entry to all tourist sites, festivals, sporting events and large gatherings are suspended. Non-essential services such as amusement parks and bars are also closed. In Danang and Da Lak Province, gatherings of no more than 2 pax are permitted in public, and residents must only go out for essentials. Tourists will not be welcomed from 26 Jul for 14 days. From Jul 30, Hanoi and Jul 31 HCMC have closed bars and clubs temporarily, and suspended all large gatherings of more than 30 pax

The Vietnam Film Festival may be brought online instead

Hanoi is testing 21,000 people who have returned from Danang

The InterContinental Group will launch an InterContinental Halong Bay Resort and Residences, its first property in Quang Ning province, to launch in 2023

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has requested safety measures for tourist to be put in place ASAP

South Korean business people returning from a trip to Vietnam of less than 14 days will be exempted from mandatory quarantine in Korea

Tripadvisor has nominated 3 Vietnamese hotels in the world’s top 25, based on traveller recommendations, including the Hanoi La Siesta Hotel & Spa with was 2nd, La Siesta Hoi An Resort & Spa in 12th place and the JM Marvel Hotel & Spa Hanoi in 16th place

The Hanoi Department of Tourism has ordered local travel agents to cancel tours scheduled for Vietnamese cities and provinces which have had outbreaks of COVID-19. 15,000-20,000 Hanoi residents who have visited Danang for the last 3 weeks have been told to self-quarantine and fill in health declarations

Tourists have cancelled their plans, with an estimated 20,000 tourists from HCMC cancelling their tours by 26 Jul after the latest outbreak

International supermodel Jessica Minh Anh will team up with VNAT to promote tourism in Vietnam, including a reality TV show which will popularise Vietnam’s destinations to both the domestic and international markets

The first online exhibition and fair platform called HAWA Online Platform for Exhibitors was launched on 29 Jul

The government has approved studying investment for separated night-time entertainment complexed in Hanoi, HCMC and Danang from 2021 – 2025

Hanoi saw 1.2 million visitors in Jun, a 51% increase over Jun 2020, with earnings estimated to be $151 million USD

The Minister of Tourism has told the tourism industry it has 2 goals: fight COVID-19 and develop the socio-economy. June has seen a 1.5-3 times surge in tourism arrivals to Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Quang Ninh, Sam Son (Thanh Hoa), Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh), Phu Yen, Phu Quoc (Kien Giang)

HCMC has proposed 8 hotels as paid quarantine sites

Northern Vietnam had 8 earthquakes on Mon & Tue, with the strongest hitting 5.3 magnitude, but no deaths

The Fantastic Danang Festival 2020, scheduled from 31 Jul to 5 Aug, has been postponed

Tighter controls on illegal immigrants and the borders will be imposed

Traveloka, Indonesia’s travel unicorn OTA, has seen an “encouraging recovery” in Vietnam, which is approaching pre-pandemic levels

Danang will face challenges reviving its tourism after the detection of new locally transmitted cases, and many tour operators have had tourists cancel August plans

The Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2020 will be suspended once more, after being rescheduled for 12-15 Aug

HCMC will test all its residents returning from Danang after 1 Jul

80,000 people are being evacuated from Danang after local transmission was detected. Domestic airlines will operate approximately 100 flights daily from Danang to 11 Vietnamese cities. A crackdown on illegal migrants is also underway, with a Chinese man arrested who is said to be part of a people trafficking circle

Offices and restaurants are re-implementing safety procedures across Vietnam

Ly Son island has stopped accepting tourists and is evacuating over 2,600 tourists after the detection of a COVID-19 case

Danang has stopped tourists for 14 days, banned gatherings of 30 people and more, closed non-essential services such as amusement parks, beauty parlours, bars and karaoke and told its residents to observe social distancing of 1 metre. Danang General Hospital has been put under lockdown with more than 6,000 people. Flights will also be restricted to Danang, with only 1 or 2 domestic flights permitted

A 2nd case of COVID-19 from local transmission has been detected in Danang. The source of the disease has not yet been identified

Hanoi has once more imposed a requirement for face masks in public places after the detection of COVID-19 cases

Following a Danang man testing positive for COVID-19, many tourists have cancelled plans to visit Danang and feel nervous about visiting the area

A Danang man has tested positive for COVID-19 in the first local transmission detected for 100 days. The 50 people he has come into contact with have been isolated, and 103 people connected to him all had negatives test results. It is unclear from where he contracted the disease. Authorities have reinstated the recommendation that masks be worn in public places

The Tourism Minister has affirmed that Malaysia will look at “green zone” destinations, instead of waiting for a whole country to be free from COVID-19. They will meet with the Foreign Ministry on Monday to identify green regions, including those from Australia, Brunei, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam

A survey of MSMEs has shown that enterprise revenue in April as the lowest in the tourism sectors – household businesses in this sector had an 84% reduction in April’s revenue. For May, this dropped to 92%

Long An Province has launched an online portal and app to provide tourism information, as well as make hotel bookings. Their H1 visitors were down 74% YoY, with tourism revenue down 68%

Special permission has been granted for 4,000 Koreans to enter Vietnam from 22 Jul, including business people and family members of Vietnam residents. They will need to undertake a 2-week self-quarantine upon arrival

A new chain, Wink Hotels, has been launched in Vietnam, the first homegrown international-standard hotel chain. The first hotel will open in HCMC in Q4 2020, followed by 2 in Danang

Major destinations are seeing an increase in visitors over weekends, with visits to Sapa increasing by 20-30% vs early Jul. There has also been long traffic jams at resort town Tam Dao. Ha Long Bay also received around 100,000 visitors per day on 18 & 19 Jul. Quy Nhon is also facing a shortage of hotel rooms, with hotels booked up during the summer period. Phu Quoc airport has also seen an increase in the number of pax, with 22,000 arriving on 17 Jul. Overall, the number of domestic pax from 13 – 20 Jul increased to 1.1 million, +27% YoY, with more than 5,900 flights, +21% YoY, with an average seat capacity of 90%

The Da Nang International Marathon will take place on 7 – 9 Aug, with no foreign runners taking part

Dong Thap Province has seen a 21% increase in the number of domestic visits from May, after a 39% drop YoY. The province will focus on domestic by developing roads, transportation and accommodation, as well as facilitate package tours. It will launch a year-long programme called “Stimulating tourism in 2020” to promote the region, especially during festival time

Savills Vietnam have revealed that there are 49 real estate projects for luxury resorts, with 26 of these rushing to finish in 2020, and 23 completed by 2021

A cooperation programme in HCMC drew together tourism associations from HCMC, Danang and the provinces of Khanh Hoa, Ha Giang and Phu Yen to promote domestic tourism

Quang Ninh have launched new policies to stimulate domestic tourism. Ha Giang also held an event to promote tourism, with initiatives such as major events being hosted in the region and a greater cooperation with HCMC travel agents and operators

Additional routes which the Ministry of Transport has proposed include Quang Ninh – Vientiane and Can Tho – Phnom Penh. These would be limited to once per week and could resume in early Aug

All stakeholders need to join together, the Vietnam Tourism Association (VNAT) has reminded them. They expect a maximum of 4.6 million international and 34 million domestic tourists in 2020, vs last year’s 18 million international and 82 million domestic. A new campaign, called “Hello HCM City”, is also planned to be rolled out to make over the city’s image, as well as a tourism stimulus program with 70 tours provided by 24 travel firms and 6 hotels

The conservation of the national relic site Dien Bien Phu Victory has been approved, with objectives set until 2030 including planning, renovating and restoring Noong Nhai Village of Thai ethnic community

1,618 rooms at 10 hotels in HCMC will be used for paid isolation zones for entering foreign experts. Hotels are a range of 3-5*, and they will not be used for any purpose other than isolation

Bac Giang province is aiming to attract 2 million visitors in 2020, with the tourism authorities focusing on spiritual, ecotourism, agricultural, cultural and historical tourism. It is also working to increase links to other neighbouring cities >>

A new high-speed boat service between HCMC and Cu Chi district has been launched

Vietnam will permit international air routes to Guangzhou, Taipei, Seoul and Tokyo from mid-July, with frequencies of 1 – 2 flights per week from mid-Jul. Airports for departure and landing in Vietnam include Hanoi, HCMC and Danang. The government will continue to propose other Asian routes, depending on bilateral agreements. The passengers would be foreign experts, investors, business managers, skilled workers and government/ diplomatic workers and would need to undergo quarantine on arrival to Vietnam. The government is also preparing quarantine for at least 10,000 people

The Can Gio Tourism Urban Area Project will add 25,000 jobs to HCMC and add a significant revenue. 9 million tourists are expected to visit every year

The Vietnamese passport placed just 89th out of 109 in the Henley & Partners ranking passport power for Q3 2020

The Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2020 will take place in Hanoi on 12-18 Aug with 400 booths, including 10 foreign countries and territories. There will be B2B meetings as well as forums on tourism development

100,000 to 120,000 tourism workers have been made redundant in HCMC over H1

More river cruise products are opening in HCMC aimed at domestic travellers

Vietnam’s domestic tourists in H1 fell by 50% to 23 million, with an average occupancy rate of 20%. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has said that 95% of travel companies ceased operation in H1, with large job losses. June’s domestic tourist numbers hit 7 million, a 2.3 times increase vs. May 2020

A park in Dak Nong province has received UNESCO global geopark status

HCMC will open a new night walking street in District 10 in Sep

HCMC has cancelled its annual International Tourism Expo (ITE) scheduled in Sep, due to concerns from overseas exhibitors

VNAT expects an 80% drop in international arrivals in 2020 if the pandemic is not controlled by the year-end. The PM has urged the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to collaborate with cities and provinces on tourism recovery scenarios

Ca Mau province has implemented its domestic tourism stimulus effectively and anticipates 1.4 million tourists in 2020. H1 saw 605,000 arrivals, a drop of 26% YoY

Hanoi Department of Tourism will join with local businesses to launch stimulus programs and domestic tour packages with attractive rates

Over 50,000 tourists from HCMC have travelled to the Mekong Delta on registered tours. HCMC and Mekong Delta have partnered to co-promote each other’s advantages, with HCMC being a place for MICE and Mekong Delta ecotourism. Visitors to HCMC in H1 were just 9.4 million, a decrease of 54.7%, and Mekong Delta saw just 13 million visitors, a drop of 50%

Ninh Binh northern province received 1.5 million visitors in H1, a drop of 72% YoY. 92% of its travel businesses have seen a drop in revenue. They have targeted to receive 2 million in H2

Vietjet and Facebook have partnered to unveil a new tourism promotion called “Immense Vietnam – Fly green with Vietjet”. Tickets are offered at 50% discount

Almost 3,000 foreign experts and highly-skilled workers have been allowed special entry into HCMC

The Transport Ministry is considering reopening international flight routes to countries or territories which have had no new cases of COVID-19 for 30 consecutive days. Priority will be given to Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan and some SE Asian countries. Passengers would need to be tested on arrival to Vietnam, and stay at locations for 14 days

The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) has proposed the reopening of international commercial air routes from the end of July to the Ministry of Transport, forming a bubble with other countries who have gone 30 days without reporting an infection. They will recommend that borders be opened to tourists as well as business travellers

More than 78% of Vietnam News readers agreed that the borders should reopen gradually. Most survey respondents believed that the opening should take place in 2020, rather than 2021. Almost 80% of respondents also believed that Vietnam has become more attractive to international visitors through its effective measures to contain the pandemic

McKinsey have seen a decrease of 21% for consumers to spend on international flights and hotel stays, and a 15% decrease in domestic flights post-COVID vs. pre-COVID. They also forecast a drop of 70% in international tourists for 2020 and that it will be a challenge for the domestic market to replace the foreign tourist spend

A Czech – Vietnam Tourism Forum was held to promote bilateral tourism

The number of foreign arrivals to Vietnam in June was down 99.3% YoY, at just 8,800, mainly comprising of foreign experts

H1 arrivals to Vietnam are down 55.8%, at just 3.7 million. Asian arrivals accounted for 2.73 million of those

Vietnam’s economy grew in Q2 by 0.36% YoY. However, it is still the slowest GDP growth since 1991

Plans to develop the Can Gio Tourism Urban Area have been approved by Vietnam’s PM

From 29 Jun, rules to enter Taiwan will be relaxed for Vietnamese citizens travelling except for tourism and visits to relatives. Passengers will also need to take COVID-19 tests 3 days before boarding and undergo quarantine on arrival

Halong Bay cruises are nearly fully booked in June and July, with weekends especially busy

The Thanh Hoa festival began on 26 Jun and is expected to continue with events until Sep

A tourism promotion festival is being run in Hanoi, with 80 travel companies, hotels, airlines and tourism associations, to encourage local domestic tourism

Opening Vietnam’s international borders looks unlikely in the short-term. The Vietnamese PM on 24 Jun said, "There is no story of rushing to open the doors, Vietnam is not yet ready to welcome back international tourists. Foreign experts, high level workers and investors into Vietnam are welcomed but will be closely monitored."

The Finance Ministry has proposed that costs related to quarantine should be charged to the traveller

Hanoi Noi Bai airport recorded a full recovery of domestic flights, with an 20% growth anticipated between Jun – July YoY

Japanese nationals on business to Vietnam have started to arrive this week, with 150 arriving on 25 Jun and 440 scheduled to arrive on 27 Jun

Hanoi has set a target of 11 million domestic tourists by the end of 2020, and will work to promote the city as a safe and friendly destination

Cambodia has re-opened its borders with Vietnam, but Vietnam has not yet reciprocated

Can Tho has seen the number of visitor arrivals decrease by 70% YoY and revenue by 62%

The Ministry of Finance is drafting an amendment to allow betting on horse racing, greyhound racing and international football, a move experts say could help to drive tourism recovery

The VinWonders Vu Yen theme park officially started construction on 21 Jun, and will be the largest themepark once completed

Google x Trip.com have revealed that Vietnam is #14 for APAC travellers’ next phase destinations, with Danang also coming in the top 20 short haul getaway destinations

Quang Ninh province welcomed 1.2 million tourists between mid-May to mid-June, earning $116 million USD in revenue. The first half of May saw 100 travellers on weekdays visit Halong Bay, whilst over 1,000 visited over weekends, equal to around 10% of visits pre-pandemic

Hue’s biennial Hue Festival will be held on 28 Aug – 2 Sep, 5 months after it was originally scheduled

Vietnam has approved the proposal to cut Corporate Income Tax by 30%, with many SMEs eligible for the tax break

Vietnam has approved a $9.3 billion USD new tourist resort led by Vingroup, 50km south of HCMC, a project which was been controversial as it is development in a “green lung”

Vietnam will set up separate zones with hygienic conditions and testing labs to welcome incoming diplomats, investors and business travellers

The government is discussing whether to cut corporate income tax by 30% for 2020. The main aim is to assist SMEs overcome financial difficulties

OAG revealed that Vietnam’s domestic air capacity is down by just 1.1% YoY, the highest level of recovery worldwide

3 new golf courses in Vietnam’s northern provinces have been approved. This forms part of its plan to have 89 golf courses by 2020 – so far, only, 30 of these have been built

The province of Ninh Binh will continue to be the host for the National Tourism Year in 2021, after the 2020 campaign was cancelled

Minor Hotels have revealed that there has been a surge of domestic demands for their Anantara and Avani hotels. The new train product, The Vietage, is also seeing “huge interest and bookings”

80% of tourism businesses in Hoi An have still not resumed operations. The chairman of the local tourism association has called for the province to restructure its tourism industry, and look at sustainable development. Overall, 19% of Vietnamese tourism companies have suspended operation and downsized, with 47,000 reporting a need for financial support

A new express boat between HCMC and Binh Duong Province will launch in Jul, aimed at reducing traffic and boosting river tourism

The Tourism Minister has encouraged Vietnamese people to travel within the country after 60 days of no community transmission. Four phases of Vietnam’s reopening will be: 1. Domestic tourism available and encouraged – current position 2. Cautious “tourism exchanges” with safe countries 3. Expanding the list of regional tourists who can visit Vietnam 4. International arrivals returning to the “pre-COVID-19 normal” >>

The Japanese government plans to open business travel links with Vietnam on a trial basis, sending 250 travellers on a chartered airline to Vietnam at the end of Jun

Halong Bay and other attractions will be free of charge on certain dates in 2020, the Quang Ninh Provincial Department of Tourism has revealed in their new 2020 tourism stimulus program. Airlines that also launch routes to Van Don airport will receive support to set up their branch offices and communication activities

A survey by VNExpress has shown that 74% of respondents believe that international flights should not be resumed at this time

The Northwest has launched a tourism stimulus program in conjunction with the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) and 8 provinces, with more than 150 travel companies. It is hoped that this new focus will help to bring a new livelihood to the ethnic minorities residing there

Vietnam is considering opening flights up to Tokyo, Seoul, Guangzhou, Taiwan and Laos, the government has announced. Japan, Taiwan and South Korea are also considering reopening international flights to Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh City launched its promotional campaign on 9 Jun, with 260 tour packages offered with vouchers of up to 10-70% off. They will also try to promote travel linkage to regional destinations

The call from Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) for the government to extend the National Day holiday on 2 Sep from one to five days to promote domestic tourism has been rejected by the Labour Ministry

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has said that Vietnam could welcome 6-8 million international tourists should travel resume in Q3, and 4.5-5 million in Q4. Domestic visitors from Jan-May was just 16 million, down 58.5% YoY. However, they anticipate domestic tourism could reach up to 60-65 million

The Ministry of Planning and Investment and Facebook have launched a “Proud Vietnam” project, aimed at boosting tourism, both domestic and international

More than 90% of the Vietnam Tour Guide Operations Centre’s 300 guides remain unemployed

A new report out from Outbox Consulting focuses on Vietnamese travellers' behaviour post-COVID, with some interesting stats on intentions for the rest of 2020: • 26% prefer sea and island tourism • 45% would travel by plane (vs 32% in their own vehicle) • 45% are planning their upcoming trips for Jul/ Aug • 57% are planning for domestic travel, just 12% to international destinations • 30% rate price as one of the driving factors for destination choice • 46% would travel for 3-5 days, and 32% for no more than 3 days

A new cable car with the world’s highest track rope opened, linking Cat Hai Island with Cat Ba Island. It is expected to boost tourism and cut travel times between the 2 from 20 mins to 9 mins. 2 other tourism sites in the region Hai Phong were also inaugurated

HCMC are planning tourism and sports events, including a food festival in Aug to stimulate domestic tourism. The administration will provide incentives with lower or zero costs for businesses to promote themselves. It may also hold the annual Ao dai Festival in Sep or Oct, as well as the HCMC International Marathon in Dec. The city received 1.3 million visitors from Jan-May, -63% YoY

The Myanmar Deputy Minister of Hotels and Tourism said that the Myanmar government will work together with Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to introduce regional tourism, with the 4 countries signing an agreement to ease border access between them, although specific details have not yet been released

The plan to allow tourists to visit Phu Quoc Island continues to develop as the tourism ministry announced they are working on a pilot plan. The Ministry is still deciding which foreign destinations it could open to, but could include ones such as Japan, South Korea, China, Australia and New Zealand

Hanoi saw a slight increase in visitors in May vs April of 6,1%, with 258,000. May arrivals dropped 87.7% YoY

Vietnam Airlines is working together with the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) to develop the Northeastern region of Vietnam, using Quang Ninh as a jumping off point

Anantara resorts in Mui Ne and Quy Nhon have had very “robust” weekend bookings, with even weekday bookings still strong

Japan has agreed to speak with the Vietnamese government on considering resuming travel between the 2 countries. Japanese media had reported that Vietnam would be included on a list of 4 countries for whom Japan would relax entry restrictions for

Vietnam’s May international arrivals were 98.3% down YoY, with just 22,700 foreigners visiting. Jan-May’s arrival visitors were largely from Asian countries, at 2.7 million

Hanoi’s Department of Tourism has been tasked with developing an urgent plan to stimulate domestic tourism. They are planning to build typical packages including craft villages and eco-tourism. It targets 10-11 million domestic travellers in the remaining months of 2020, higher than 2019’s target

New economic measures have been taken by the government, including: • Reduction of 15% on rental fees for state-owned land and properties for businesses forced to stop operation by COVID-19 • Waiving fees for local airlines, reducing landing and take-off charges and air navigation services fees by 50% for domestic flights from Mar-Sep. • Airlines are also allowed to offer zero air fares for certain services • Mobile money scheme will also be allowed to pilot for low value transactions • MSMEs could also benefit from a proposed 30% cut in corporate tax this year

Jan-May arrival numbers are down 48.8% YoY, with a total of just 3.73 million. Revenue is down 54.1%

The granting of e-visas to 80 countries from 1 Jul should be considered a turning point to attract international visitors, the Deputy General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has said. They also revealed they are working on a safe tourism corridor between Thailand and Vietnam, with charter flights to designated destinations. They have also been in talks with the Taipei Cultural Office, but all talks depend on the pandemic control in the respective country

The government has reiterated that even when international tourism resumes, destinations will be limited to certain islands, including Phu Quoc

The government has agreed that Vietnam will remain closed to international tourists and that inbound tourism would only resume to countries who have the pandemic under control. The Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that some hotels have even run a high occupancy rate of 100%

Vietnam have released a list of 80 countries who will be able to apply for e-visas from 1 Jul

60% of travel companies in HCMC have reopened, whilst the rest are expected to reopen in Q4. Most companies are seeking the government’s help from the relief package, with more than 50 travel firms in HCMC submitted for help. Vietravel says that there has been an increase in car rental and hotel bookings, but tour package bookings remain modest

Tien Gang region will extend tax payment deadlines for impacted tourism businesses, as more than 1,200 had to stop operating. Q1’s arrivals saw just 375,000 tourists, -43% YoY

The Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has said that they are preparing to welcome visitors from countries and territories who have responded effectively to COVID-19, and that they will submit a schedule of gradually eased visa restrictions and resumption of flight routes to the government: “Southeast and Northeast Asia will be the first markets to be targeted by VNAT’s promotion programs in the fourth quarter.” Local airlines Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air and Bamboo Airways are also keen to restart international flights, which account for around 50% of their revenue

Google has revealed that search results for domestic flights in Vietnam has increased by 85% YoY, with the hottest destinations being Hanoi, HCMC, Danang, Dalat, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Hue and Quy Nhon. Searches for sea and island tourism has doubled over the past 6 weeks, and interest in national parks has also grown

“Safe haven” advertising should be used for Vietnam to attract more tourists, according to VinaCapital who estimate that tourist arrivals could drop by 60%. They suggest that resorts sealed off from the virus, or even entire islands, could be designated safe for overseas travellers

A report from Savills has said that “hospitality is now seeing a careful recovery and hopes of things returning to normal.”

A new 12-seater luxury coach will connect Danang with Quy Nhon from early July

A survey by VNExpress showed 85% of their Vietnamese readers are planning for travel in 2020. Some key findings were: • 50% of respondents said they would make short trips of 2-3 days • 60.5% would travel with family • 67.2% said they would like to visit coastal areas • 50% said they would travel by plane, 20% by car and 18% would hire cars. Just 2.2% would use trains • 44.1% would book hotels and tours online, whilst 29.3% would book via tour operators

Vietnam Airlines and the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) launched a programme to stimulate domestic tourism. It calls for all tourism companies to develop new products at discounted, affordable rates. Over 150 companies had signed up so far, including 6 of the leading tour operators in Vietnam, with discounts of up to 40% for 6 to go packages

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) expects 2 scenarios this year: • International arrivals to decrease by 70% if COVID-19 is controlled by Jun, or • International arrivals to decrease by 75% if it controlled by Sep • The hotel market is expected to recover only in 2021. According to a new report, the Hanoi sector has seen more positive signs than HCMC. Room rates in Hanoi are expected to decrease by 8-20%, and occupancy levels 46-55%, whilst in HCMC room rates may drop 10-22% and occupancy 40-49%

License fees for international and domestic tourism firms has been reduced by 50% from 6 May until 2020 year end. Fees for a tour guide card have also been reduced from $14 USD to $4 USD

Travel agents such as Saigontourist and TST Tourist are developing attractive domestic tour packages for small groups, and with themes such as eco-tourism. 5* hotels in the country are also offering discounts of 20–50%

Hanoi’s tourism attractions, such as the Temple of Literature, Ngoc Son Temple and Hoa Lo Prison, are to reopen on 14 May, with temperature checks in place and visitors to wear face masks. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum also reopened on 12 May

A new domestic travel campaign, “Vietnamese people travel in Vietnam” has been launched and will run from 1 Jun to 31 Dec. It will be implemented nationwide

Danang will launched the Fantastic Danang Festival 2020 to boost tourism, scheduled to run from Jun to Sep. Highlights include an opening ceremony, music festival, flash mob bikini performance, art installation and Vietnamese food festival, amongst others

The Mekong Delta saw 50,000 visitors during the 4-day long weekend in early May – a huge drop YoY, but an indication of green shoots. Q1 international arrivals were down 59% YoY, and revenue down 62%

All beaches are now reopened in Vietnam, following the Ba Ria-Vung Tau beach opening on 07 May

Vietnam has allowed the opening of non-essential services, except for clubs and karaoke bars. Sports activities and crowded events are allowed to run, but participants should wear face masks. The Ministry of Tourism has also been instructed to share plans on promoting safe tourism, as well as foreign tourists

A survey showed that 45% of Chinese travellers would consider Vietnam as a destination, with HCMC, Hanoi, Nha Trang and Halong Bay amongst the top places to visit

Since the lifting of lockdown, Vietnam has seen an increase in online bookings for hotels and flight tickets instead of via travel agents. AZA Tourism Company has seen an increase in short tours, family trips and small groups. HCMC Tourism Association has also started promoting domestic tour packages selling at up to 40% off

According to research by HVS, the Average Daily Rate (ADR) at Vietnamese hotels fell by 11%, and the Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) dropped by 72.2% in March YoY

A tourism stimulus package for Sapa has been launched. It will run from May – Jun, and accommodation providers will lower rates by 30-60%. Sapa’s visitor numbers reduced by 50% in March YoY and 100% in April YoY

Can Tho will target domestic travellers to recover, as well as international markets such as Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. International arrivals to the city were down 76.3% and domestic travellers down 74.5% April YTD

Hanoi hotels have seen a 49% decrease in Q1 revenues for 3* and 4* hotels, with 153 hotels in the downtown areas closed between Feb and Mar

Many tourist attractions across Vietnam, with the exception of some located in Hanoi, have reopened to welcome travellers over the long May weekend

Vietnam’s April YTD figures show a drop of 37.8% YoY, at just 3.7 million visitors. April alone’s numbers have dropped by 94.8% YoY

The Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board has asked for a government guaranteed credit package of $6.4 billion to help tourism businesses with loans, valued at around 25% of total tourism revenue in 2019, provided they meet certain conditions

Around 13,000 tourism workers in the Thua Thien-Hue Province are currently unemployed according to a report from the local Tourism Association. They call for more ways to support businesses to participate in tourism promotion both locally and overseas, as well as government support with loans and reductions in tax and land rental

Phu Quoc island has reopened, with tourism and travel firms allowed to operate for domestic travellers. Ferry and air services have resumed service to the island

Tourist sites in Quang Binh province have been reopened, after visits dropped by 27% YoY. Limits are still in place including that groups should not be bigger than 20 people

Domestic flights and inter-provincial buses resumed operation on 22 Apr, albeit with a limited service

The government announced a lifting of the lockdown restrictions nationwide, with the exception of a few hotspots

Hanoi have paused their 5-year promotional package with CNN worth $4 million USD due to COVID-19. The package will be picked up again at a later date

Entry to Vietnam will still be strictly controlled until 30 Apr, including visa issuance halted, and international flights limited

Lockdown measures will be extended in 12 high-risk localities including Hanoi, HCMC and Danang. This will be until 22 Apr or 30 Apr, possibly longer. Low risk localities should still continue to suspend unnecessary activities

More than 20,000 HCMC tourism workers at hotels and tourist accommodation have been made redundant or put on unpaid leave according to the Municipal Department. Hotels reported a 58% decline YoY in turnover. 90% of more than 1,000 SME travel firms suspended operations. Unemployed will receive monthly relief payments of $42 USDpp for 3 months

Vietnam’s Q1 arrivals were down 18.1% according to the General Statistics Office

Vietnam will delay collecting $7.6 billion USD in taxes and land rent to help businesses

Danang have created a Tourism Promotion Fund of nearly $70,000 USD which will focus on effective tourism operations, organising events and looking at Hindu and Muslim tourists’ needs. Q1 has seen a drop of 21% in tourism revenue

Ho Chi Minh City’s Q1 tourism arrivals fell 42% vs. last year, with revenue down 26%

The government is planning a $2.6 billion USD relief fund, with support for 6 different groups of people

The latest arrival statistics showed that the number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in March was down 63.8% vs. Feb 2020, and 68% down year-on-year. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism sees 10 inbound and outbound tour operators shutdown daily. Hoi An and Danang are the most affected destinations in the country due to their reliance on tourism. Saigontourist Travel Service and Vietravel, 2 major travel agencies in Vietnam both have drops of 80% YoY

National pandemic declared, with a 15-day lockdown period nationwide to start on Apr 1, with suspended public transport and limited provincial travel

Many popular tourism sites have closed to visitors, including My Son Sanctuary, Hoi An, Hue Imperial Citadel Binh Dinh, Phu Yen and Khanh Hoa

Vietnam has lost $7 billion in tourism revenue in January & February 2020, with hotel guests declining by 60 - 70% according to Government Office chief Mai Tien Dung

The Vietnamese government will spend $1.16 billion as an economic stimulus, including tax breaks, delayed tax payments and reductions in land leases

Ho Chi Minh City's arrival have fallen 62% YoY in Jan and Feb 2020, with 88,000 visitors cancelling and $40 million drop in revenue. Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Department has proposed 50% cut in taxes for tourism related businesses, as well as visa waivers for Australian, Russian, New Zealand and Canadian nationals

Latest tourist arrivals data shows that Feb is -38% vs Jan, and -21.8% vs 2019. Overall growth for Jan and Feb 2020 in visitors was +4.8%, the slowest growth for 5 years. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) estimates that the damage could be $5.9 - 7.7 billion USD over Q1 2020