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The real dangers of traveling to Vietnam just because it’s cheap

The real dangers of traveling to Vietnam just because it’s cheap
<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img alt="Foreign tourists taking a rickshaw (cyclo) ride along a street in the old quarter of Hanoi. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam" src="http://bit.ly/2o9z9WS" title="Foreign tourists taking a rickshaw (cyclo) ride along a street in the old quarter of Hanoi. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam" width="500" />
Foreign tourists taking a rickshaw (cyclo) ride along a street in the old quarter of Hanoi. Photo by AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam
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Let’s not mince words: tourists love the country because it’s one of the cheapest places on earth, but low costs come with risks.
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Yet another travel list has named Vietnam among the must-visit places in the world because it’s cheap.
This time, it’s Emily Zemler, a writer from Refinery29, who describes Vietnam as one of the best “super cheap” destinations in the world.
“Asian destinations like Japan and Singapore can be pricy, but Vietnam is notably budget-friendly. The food, which is just as good from a street cart as it is from a sit-down restaurant, is cheap (usually less than 10 bucks a pop) and hotels are reasonable, with luxury properties averaging around $80 per night…
Don’t be afraid to sample the street food, which includes signature dishes like beef pho and bun cha, and make sure to spring for a countryside bicycle tour from Hoi An, which run $17 and up.”
To be fair, cost-based recommendations like these are what Vietnam, still an emerging travel destination, needs now.
It’s perfectly fine to love something when it doesn’t bankrupt you – it’s even better when that something is also good. “Cheap” is not a dirty word. We don’t need to avoid it and replace it with pretentious phrases like “budget-friendly” or “best value for your buck” when we promote a product or a travel destination.
But “cheap” does come with a connotation: some sort of compromises must be made and accepted.
For cheap travel, the biggest compromises are on quality and safety. In Vietnam, this can mean anything: drinking a beer that tastes like water, sleeping on a hostel bed with a dirty sheet, getting food poisoning after a meal at a delicious sidewalk joint, drinking toxic moonshine, or falling from a waterfall. And the list goes on.
Many travelers will take these risks without blinking an eye. Ask any backpacker in Saigon and they will tell you how happy they are when they only need a few hundred bucks to travel in Vietnam. Diarrhea and those serious <a href="http://bit.ly/2n8yNec">travel safety warnings</a> don’t faze them one bit.
Such carefree attitudes have boded well for Vietnam’s tourism industry so far. If travelers are fully aware of all these risks and they still want to come, let them in by all means. After all, a trip to Vietnam is not complete without at least one story of crazy, unforgettable mishaps.
But a great travel destination should never be associated with risks. Eating street food must not feel like gambling. A night on a Ha Long Bay ship must not end with a quick dive into the cold water to avoid getting burnt alive. Even adventure tourism should be about the illusion and the thrill, not real risks.
Like the economy as a whole, the industry can’t thrive on being cheap forever if being cheap only means low standards and corner-cutting. Vietnam must step up its game to make sure no travel writer will ever have to write this line: “Don’t be afraid to sample the street food.”
* The article does not necessarily reflect the views of VnExpress International or VnExpress.
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The real dangers of traveling to Vietnam just because it’s cheap

The real dangers of traveling to Vietnam just because it’s cheap Foreign tourists taking a rickshaw (cyclo) ride along a street in the old ...

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VN: Foreign tourists surge by 29% in Q1

VN: Foreign tourists surge by 29% in Q1
<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="http://bit.ly/2o9KtSC" width="500" />
Foreign tourists on cyclos discovering Hà Nội. The country attracted 3.2 million of foreign visitors in the first quarter of the year. – VNA/VNA Photo Quốc Việt
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<div><a href="http://bit.ly/24En4mq">Viet Nam News</a>
HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam welcomed 3.2 million foreign tourists in the first three months of the year, up by 29 per cent against the same period last year.
This was announced by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) on Tuesday.
In term of markets, the highest number of people visiting Việt Nam was from Asia from January to March with 2.3 million people, followed by Europe with nearly 560,000 people.
The American region ranked third with 247,000 visitors.
The number of Asian visitors in the three months was 34 per cent higher than the figure in the corresponding period last year.
If categorised by means of transport, people traveling by air to Việt Nam accounted for 82 per cent. Although the percentage of visitors coming to the country by sea was the least (making up merely 3.5 per cent), the absolute number saw the highest surge of 66 per cent year-on-year.
In March alone, more than one million foreign visitors came to the country, representing a month-on-month decrease of 16 per cent but a year-on-year rise of 21 per cent.
These were good results and were largely thanks to the efforts made by the tourism sector, according to the VNAT.
Since the beginning of the year, the tourism sector has actively participated in tourism promotion and co-operation activities abroad, including the ASEAN-China Tourism Co-operation Year 2017 in the Philippines from March 15 to17. The event was expected to enhance tourism and people-to-people exchange between the two sides.
Under the framework of the event, VNAT general director Nguyễn Văn Tuấn and his Chinese counterpart Li Jinzao discussed measures to boost tourism co-operation between the two countries.
Also in March, Việt Nam participated in the Moscow International Travel and Tourism Fair (MITT) – one of the five largest tourism fairs in the world — which attracted the participation of nearly 2,000 travel companies from 158 countries and territories.
At the fair, Việt Nam introduced attractive tourism destinations, forms and activities as part of its National Tourism Year 2017 and updated information related to tourism co-operation between Viet Nam and Russia, as well as introduced new, specific tourism products for the Russian market.
The results will lay a foundation for the tourism sector to realise its target of receiving 11.5 million foreign tourists and serving 66 million domestic visitors, earning total revenue of VNĐ460 trillion (US$20.4 billion) this year. – VNS
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VN: Foreign tourists surge by 29% in Q1

VN: Foreign tourists surge by 29% in Q1 Foreign tourists on cyclos discovering Hà Nội. The country attracted 3.2 million of foreign visitor...

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Vietnam International Travel Mart to be held

Vietnam International Travel Mart to be held
Themed “Hanoi—Destination of Vietnam,” VITM 2017 is expected to feature about 450 booths for 652 enterprises and tourism management and promotion agencies from 43 cities and provinces across the country and 25 other countries and territories. The fair is expected to attract about 60,000 visitors.
Hanoi ranks among the world’s most attractive and interesting cities. Its placid air gives it a gracious, almost regal flavour, underscored by a rich history that traces back more than a thousand years, with a fascinating heritage on display in well-preserved, centuries-old architecture.
One of the highlights of VITM Hanoi 2017 is the International Street Food Festival, which is being held for the first time. The festival will see the participations of dozens of famous domestic and foreign chefs with the purpose of promoting Vietnamese street food and bringing visitors unique street food experiences from Vietnam and some other countries in the region.
The event will provide thousands of promotional tour packages and low-cost air tickets, and will also present the best opportunities to foreign tour operators and providers to promote destinations and seek new business deals.
In addition to activities in destination presentation and tourism stimulation from local exhibitors, VITM 2017 also offers contests, traditional arts performances, conferences and workshops.
First held in 2013, this year’s event is the fifth and is considered Vietnam’s premier professional tourism event and one of the largest travel shows in the region.
 
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Vietnam International Travel Mart to be held

Vietnam International Travel Mart to be held Themed “Hanoi—Destination of Vietnam,” VITM 2017 is expected to feature about 450 booths for 65...

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How two teens in leggings became a PR mess for an airline

How two teens in leggings became a PR mess for an airline
United Airlines had to respond to a series of viral tweets in a case dubbed as ‘Leggings-gate.’
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A bystander who touched off a social media furor after she saw United Airlines stop two teenage girls dressed in leggings from boarding a flight admitted on Monday that she did not fully grasp the situation when she started tweeting her indignation.
The girls, who were flying standby on Sunday from Denver to Minneapolis using free passes for employees or family members, were told by a gate attendant that they could not get on the plane while wearing the form-fitting pants.
Passengers using the passes are considered airline representatives, United Airlines Inc spokesman Jonathan Guerin said, subject to a dress code that prohibits sleep or swimwear, torn clothing and revealing attire.
The girls were fine with the policy, Guerin says, but a traveler named Shannon Watts who overheard the exchange took offense.
Watts was further incensed when another woman who was listening told her 10-year-old daughter to put a dress on over her leggings, apparently thinking United’s policy applied to all passengers, not just those flying free.
Her subsequent tweet storm, which accused the airline of “policing women’s clothing,” quickly went viral, with celebrities such as model Chrissy Teigen and actors Seth Rogen and Patricia Arquette decrying United’s stance.
After the incident, United’s mentions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram exploded from its average 2,000 daily mentions to 174,000, nearly 70 percent of them negative, said Kellan Terry, a spokesman for the social media analysis firm Brandwatch.
Watts, in a phone interview on Monday, conceded that she did not initially realize that the girls were using passes that entailed following a dress code. Regardless, she said, the policy is wrong-headed.
“I don’t get why that’s the issue here,” she said. “A dress code still shouldn’t be gendered and sexist. To be clear, this was happening very publicly right here in the gate.”
American Airlines Group Inc has a policy on free passes that is similar to United’s, but Delta Air Lines Inc defers to travelers’ “best judgment” about their clothing.
United may have limited any damage to its image if it reacted more quickly to the tweets and explained its policy on the free passes, Terry said.
“Once the fire starts to burn, it’s all about containing that fire,” he said.
United’s Guerin conceded that the airline could have done a better job of getting the facts out early.
“But our response following that, once we did have all of the facts, I think we reacted the right way with this,” he said.
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Bien Ho Lake – a pearl in Central Highlands

Bien Ho Lake – a pearl in Central Highlands
Bien Ho Lake in Pleiku city of Gia Lai province is a renowned tourist attraction which is considered as a “pearl” in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
 
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Bien Ho, also called To Nung, was previously a giant volcano mouth in the north of Pleiku
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The lake is described as a romantic destination for those who come to the Central Highlands for the first time
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Bien Ho is located at an altitude of more than 8,000 metres. It is nearly 10km away from Pleiku
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Legend has it that water in the lake is the tears of villagers whose relatives were buried by lava in the past. Those tears formed streams which returned to the village and became a lake
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Bien Ho is also a main source of water supply for residents in Pleiku
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Many people have chosen Bien Ho as the first place to visit when they set foot in the Central Highlands
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VNA
 
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Bien Ho Lake – a pearl in Central Highlands

Bien Ho Lake – a pearl in Central Highlands Bien Ho Lake in Pleiku city of Gia Lai province is a renowned tourist attraction which is consid...

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Japan opens tourism representative office in Ha Noi

Japan opens tourism representative office in Ha Noi
A representative office of the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) was launched in Viet Nam on March 28 as part of the two countries’ effort to boost bilateral tourism cooperation.
<img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/2o4U25a" />
During the opening ceremony, the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the JNTO inked a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance destination promotion and visitor exchange; and share experience and information on areas of mutual interest.
Speaking at the event, Director General of VNAT Nguyen Van Tuan gave attendees an overview of development in Viet Nam-Japan tourism cooperation from 2010 to 2016. Viet Nam recorded an average growth rate of 9 percent annually in the number of Japanese tourist arrivals over the past 6 years. In 2016, the country welcomed approximately 740,000 visitors from Japan, up 10 percent from a year earlier, Tuan said.
Meanwhile, as many as 233,000 Vietnamese holidaymakers travelled to Japan last year, a year-on-year increase of 26 percent, he added.
He noted the opening of the JNTO representative office in Viet Nam is expected to fuel the tours between the two countries.
For his part, JNTO President Ryoichi Matsuyama said the organisation plans to launch dozens of tours to Japan so that Vietnamese travellers can experience different cultural aspects of Japan like cuisine, cherry blossom and festivals.
Head of the JNTO Representative Office in Viet Nam Takahashi Ayumi vowed to support Vietnamese tour operators in selling tours to Japan.
The office is scheduled to join the Viet Nam International Travel Mart 2017 on April 6-9.
 
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Japan opens tourism representative office in Ha Noi

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Representative office of Japan Tourism Organisation opens opens in Hanoi

Representative office of Japan Tourism Organisation opens opens in Hanoi
<div>The Hanoitimes – The Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) launched a representative office in Hanoi on March 28 as part of the two countries’ effort to promote bilateral tourism cooperation.</div>
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<div>Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Director General of Japan National Tourism Organisation Yasuto Kawarabayashi said that in 2016, as many as 233,000 Vietnamese holidaymakers travelled to Japan, a year-on-year increase of 26 percent.
<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img alt="Deputy Director General of Japan National Tourism Organisation Yasuto Kawarabayashi speaks at the ceremony." src="http://bit.ly/2o4TiN7" width="500" />
Deputy Director General of Japan National Tourism Organisation Yasuto Kawarabayashi speaks at the ceremony. Photo by Hong Hanh.
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Through the representative office, JNTO will further boost the provision of tourist information via the website, thus attracting more visitors from Vietnam’s large cities to Japan, he noted. 
The organisation plans to launch dozens of tours to Japan so that Vietnamese travellers can experience different cultural aspects of Japan like cuisine, cherry blossom and festivals, he added. 
JNTO Representative Office is located at Room 409, Corner Stone Building, No.16 Phan Chu Trinh, Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi. 
Takahashi Ayumi is head of the JNTO representative office in Vietnam which will carry out a tourism stimulus policy to promote Vietnamese tourists to travel to Japan as well as assisting Vietnamese travel companies in organising tours to Japan. 
The office will undertake surveys, analyze tourism market in Japan, and assist Vietnamese travel companies in planning and selling tours to the country. 
It also provide information to the tourism industry and consumers and support for the implementation of international tourism conferences. 
During the opening ceremony, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) and the JNTO inked a Memorandum of Understanding to enhance destination promotion and visitor exchange; and share experience and information on areas of mutual interest. 
The two agencies will participate in fairs, exhibitions, seminars and international conferences on tourism held in Vietnam or Japan; facilitate the organization of FAM delegations and delegations surveying tourism products in each country; 
The two sides will encourage and suppor cooperation activities between tour operators, airlines and local administrations of the two countries; share experiences, good points on tourism promotion and tourism development policy. 
Addressing the event, VNAT Director Nguyen Van Tuan gave attendees an overview of development in Vietnam-Japan tourism cooperation from 2010 to 2016.
<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img alt="VNAT Director Nguyen Van Tuan makes a speech at the opening ceremony. Photo by Hong Hanh." src="http://bit.ly/2ntsymL" width="500" />
VNAT Director Nguyen Van Tuan makes a speech at the opening ceremony. Photo by Hong Hanh.
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Vietnam recorded an average growth rate of 9 percent annually in the number of Japanese tourist arrivals over the past 6 years. In 2016, the country welcomed approximately 740,000 visitors from Japan, up 10 percent from a year earlier, the diretor said. 
He noted the opening of the JNTO representative office in Vietnam is expected to boost the tours between the two countries. 
In 2016, over 230,000 Vietnamese visitors came to Japan and more than 700,000 visitors from Japan to Vietnam.
“The signing of the memorandum of understanding between the VNAT and JNTO shows that the Vietnam-Japan tourism exchange has been increasingly expanded. With the efforts made by travel community of the two countries, the number of visitors between Vietnam and Japan will increase sharply in the future”, said Director Tuan.
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<div>Translated by Nguyen Phuong</div>
<div>Source: Hong Hanh-kinhtedothi.vn</div>
 
Representative office of Japan Tourism Organisation opens opens in Hanoi Related image(s) 
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Representative office of Japan Tourism Organisation opens opens in Hanoi

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