My Australian friend paid $47 for a pair of shoes at Ben Thanh Market that I got for $13
An acquaintance of mine from Australia once excitedly bragged about buying a pair of branded shoes for VND1.2 million (US$47) after bargaining at Ben Thanh Market in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ben Thanh Market’s lament : visitors only come for sightseeing, not buying
Vendors at Ben Thanh Market, Ho Chi Minh City’s most famous traditional market, complain about poor business saying people mainly come there for sightseeing rather than to make purchases.
Vietnam extends visa waiver for citizens of 12 countries until 2028
The Vietnamese government has decided to extend visa exemption for citizens of 12 countries including major tourism markets such as South Korea and Japan until 2028.
Thailand urges Vietnam to join ‘Six Countries, One Destination’ tourism initiative
Thailand has called on Vietnam to seek measures to boost stronger tourism cooperation, including its « Six Countries, One Destination » initiative.
Authorities on Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island deal with homelessness, begging amid tourism concerns
Authorities in Phu Quoc City, an island off the coast of Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam, have announced plans to address the recurring issue relating to homeless individuals and beggars in public areas, which many say negatively impacts local…
Why is Da Lat overcrowded with visitors but struggling with low tourism revenue ?
My friend planned a family trip to Da Lat during the Lunar New Year but got stuck in traffic and ended up staying in the nearby town Bao Loc instead.
Vietnam achieves highest post-pandemic tourism recovery rate in Southeast Asia
Tourism arrivals in Vietnam in 2024 recovered to 98% of pre-Covid levels, the highest in Southeast Asia, and this has been attributed to favorable visa policies.
Western tourists try hands-on duck farming in rural Vietnam
Western tourists flock for a unique experience to Quang Binh Province in central Vietnam, where ducks provide playful beak massages and chase visitors in a delightful, hands-on farm adventure.
Vietnam to waive visa for citizens of Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland from March 1, 2025
The Government of Vietnam has announced a new visa exemption policy for citizens of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland, effective from March 1 to December 31, 2025. This initiative is part of a broader tourism stimulus program aimed at enhancing Vietnam’s…
A complete guide to Vietnam’s visa policy
Foreign tourists must obtain a valid visa before traveling to Vietnam to ensure a smooth and legal entry unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.
Laos police detain 8 Vietnamese hostel staff over backpackers’ methanol poisoning deaths
Police in Laos have detained the manager and seven workers of a backpacker hostel in Vang Vieng following the deaths of six tourists from suspected methanol poisoning, state media reported on Tuesday.
Hang Son Doong : The world’s biggest cave, so ‘outrageous in size’ it fits 2 jungles and the ‘Great Wall of Vietnam’
Vietnam’s Son Doong cave is so large, you could squeeze 15 Great Pyramids of Giza inside it and fly a Boeing 747 airplane through some of its passages.
Korean tourists represent 26.5% of 12.7mn foreign arrivals in Vietnam in January-September
Vietnam welcomed over 12.7 million international tourists in January-September, with South Korea remaining the largest source market sending 3.3 million arrivals, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
Trump Organization to develop $1.5 billion golf course and hotel project in Vietnam
Vietnam’s real estate developer Kinhbac City said on Tuesday that its subsidiary has partnered with The Trump Organization to develop a $1.5 billion golf course and hotel project in Vietnam’s Hung Yen province.
Vietnam should fix tourism problems instead of racing to earn travel awards
Vietnam has outpaced Thailand and Singapore in winning travel awards, yet its international visitor numbers have remained stagnant, raising concerns about the sustainability of its tourism sector’s success.
I flew 33 hours to Vietnam but was denied entry because of a common travel mistake I’ll never make again
After nearly a day and a half of flights from Phoenix to Dallas to Tokyo to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I was exhausted but thrilled to finally reach my destination.
La Thaïlande lance un site web pour s’enregistrer et payer la taxe touristique
Les voyageurs étrangers devront bientôt s’enregistrer avant un voyage en Thaïlande et payer la taxe touristique de 300 bahts (8 euros).
Vietnam’s largest island Phu Quoc struggles with occupancy rates due to costly airfares
High airfares are deterring tourists from visiting Phu Quoc during the National Day holiday, as hotels across the country’s biggest island recorded occupancy rates of only 30%.
Vietnam welcomes nearly 10mn int’l tourists in Jan-Jul
The number of international visitor arrivals to Vietnam neared 10 million between January and July this year, soaring 51 percent year on year and improving 1.9 percent against the pre-pandemic level in 2019, according to data released by the Vietnam…
Vietnam arrivals recover in half-year results
Vietnam’s e-visa, valid for 90 days, for 80 nationalities, is helping to push up tourist arrivals for the first six months of 2024. Tourist visits passed the 8 million mark for the first time since the pandemic.
Vietnam fulfills half of 2024 foreign tourist goal
Vietnam welcomed 8.8 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first half of 2024, reaching nearly half of its inbound tourism target of 18 million this year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
Authorities verify report of tourists abandoned in Ha Long Bay in northern Vietnam
The Department of Transport in Quang Ninh Province in northern Vietnam has tasked relevant units with verifying a report of a group of tourists being abandoned on an island in world-renowned Ha Long Bay on Sunday, a leader of the…
Why Vietnam is losing out in tourism development ranking
Loosely connected supply chains, poor infrastructure and limited services are some of weaknesses that put Vietnam behind Southeast Asian neighbors in the latest tourism competitiveness index.
Cham Islands or Ly Son – where should you spend a weekend trip ?
Off the coast of central Vietnam there are two popular destinations that both international and domestic travelers enjoy spending a weekend at, but which one is superior for a short getaway ?
HCMC ‘too hot’, foreign tourists complain
Many tourists traveling to Ho Chi Minh City during the Reunification Day and Labor Day holidays said the city was « too hot » and they were « melting » under the strong heat.
On a $400 budget, I would choose Thailand over domestic destinations
A five-day trip to Thailand fits snugly into my VND10 million (US$394) budget while trips to tourist destinations in Vietnam with similar price tags may not be as comfortable.