The beautiful landscape of Hoàn Kiếm Lake in downtown Hà Nội. The capital city is a popular destination for both domestic and international tourists. — VNS Photo Trương Vị

HCM CITY — Singaporeans and Americans have evinced greatest interest this year in visiting Việt Nam, according to leading online travel platform Agoda.

Agoda said that after Việt Nam announced that it was fully resuming tourism after a break of almost two years because of the pandemic, search data showed “nearby Singapore as the top market searching to revisit beautiful Việt Nam and taking in the nation's warm culture, renowned cuisine and stunning sights.”

Việt Nam's reopening on March 15 happened a day before Singapore approved the nation as one of its vaccine travel lanes (VTL) partner countries, reigniting travel between the two nations.

Việt Nam closed its borders on 22 March 2020, not long after the coronavirus was first spotted in the country.  

The latest reopening was accompanied with the resumption of visa free entry for travelers from various markets around Asia and Europe, including all of ASEAN.

Visitors from the US were the second highest Việt Nam information seekers according to Agoda. South Korea came in third, with the Koreans keen to restart business ties and re-explore Việt Nam's coastlines the way they have in the past.

India and Malaysia rounded out the top five nations searching for accommodation in the country; followed by Australia, the UK, Germany, Thailand and UAE.

In terms of Vietnamese destinations, the three largest cities led the pack, with HCM City, Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng drawing most of the attention from accommodation-seekers looking to visit or revisit Việt Nam.  

Extolling the nation’s tourism virtues, Agoda said: “Encapsulating the best of all worlds, Việt Nam has bustling cities, numerous nature parks, scenery, countryside, seascapes, culinary delights and globally renowned sites such as Hạ Long Bay to experience up close. If that is not enough of a reason to visit Việt Nam, the country’s long history and cultural nuances make it a great option to visit after a two-year international travel break.”

Hotels expectant

The tourism reopening is a most welcome development for the nation’s hotel industry that has been hit hard in the last two years. 

While the resumption of domestic tourism since last October provided some relief, the hotel industry has been banking on international tourism as a decisive factor in its revival. 

The nation’s adjustment to the new normal has been boosted by its vaccination campaign that has been ranked third in terms of speed behind China and India. 

The success of the vaccination campaign is also a positive development for the tourism and hotel industries that have a symbiotic relationship. 

While real estate consultancy CBRE has reported that new supply of accommodation is still limited due to the pandemic crisis delaying the construction process, major names are in the fray including Four Seasons, Wink, Dusit and Fairmont.

CBRE expects 2022 to present a golden opportunity for HCM City’s 4-5-star hotel market, with relatively slow progress in the first half and accelerated growth in the second. The market is expected to welcome a new supply of 2,803 rooms from 13 projects by leading brands like Ritz Carlton, Mandarin Oriental, Hotel Indigo and Avani. — VNS