From an almost "unknown" name on the world tourism map, Vietnam has become a household name in the most prestigious awards and titles in the tourism world.

Golden Bridge, Sun World Ba Na Hills, Da Nang

Take a look at this "collection" of international awards and titles belonging to Vietnam tourism in this spectacular journey through the past decade.

The collection of awards is increasing in quality and quantity every day

Nearly ten years ago, the list of awards and appellations for Vietnamese destinations was still very modest. There were only a few bright spots such as Hoi An receiving the title of "World's Top Favorite City" from Wanderlust a British travel magazine in 2013 and one of the "Top 10 most romantic places to visit in the world" in 2013 according to CNN (USA). Da Nang was also ranked in the Top 10 most attractive destinations in Asia by the online travel magazine Smart Travel Asia.

In 2013, at the World Travel Awards (WTA), considered the "Oscars of the tourism world", only five sites in Vietnam were honoured. Four of these were national awards and one regional award for the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort which was named "Asia's Leading New Resort".

InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort

Since 2014, Vietnam's tourism industry has reached international levels repeatedly named at prestigious world-class awards. The number and value of prizes have also increased exponentially. The most impressive is the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort - a resort on Son Tra island belonging to Sun Group that made a mark on the international tourism map when it was named for 4 consecutive years (2014-2017). in one of the most important categories of the WTA – “The world’s most luxurious resort”.

But not only the WTA, but also many other prestigious awards and titles in the world have also begun to honour Vietnam's tourism brands. Also in 2014, the world's largest travel magazine  TripAdvisor (USA) voted Da Nang, the city on the Han River, the top of the list of the top 10 most attractive emerging destinations in the world, and ranked Hanoi 8th on the list of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world.

In 2015, Ha Long Bay was honoured to be in the top 2 of the most attractive tourist attractions that “you must visit once in a lifetime" voted by Buzzfeed (USA). Two years later, the famous British travel site - Rough Guides continued to rank Ha Long Bay in 3rd position out of the 10 most impressive UNESCO heritage sites in Asia.

In particular, 2019 can be considered an explosive year for Vietnam's tourism industry. For the first time, Vietnamese tourism surpassed candidates around the world to receive the prestigious "World's Leading Heritage Destination 2019" and "World's Best Golf Destination 2019".

In 2013, Vietnam only had f resorts and travel agencies named in the WTAs, however, in 2019, up to 30 sites won awards on the national, Asian and world levels. In particular, the tourism, entertainment and resort projects of Sun Group alone received 17 WTA awards in Asia and Oceania in 2019 and 13 WTA World Awards.

In 2020, although the Covid-19 epidemic had a heavy impact on the whole world, Vietnam's tourism continued to be honoured by WTA with a huge and valuable collection of awards in Asia, the region, and the world with an even higher number than in 2019.

At the beginning of 2021, the Golden Bridge of Sun World Ba Na Hills KDL continued to boost Vietnam's name to the top being voted among the "New Wonders of the World" by the Daily Mail Magazine (UK). Two of Vietnam’s most famous tourist cities, Hanoi and Hoi An (Vietnam), are still ranked 6th and 11th by TripAdvisor among the world's 25 most famous destinations in 2021.

After a decade, a series of prestigious awards and rankings by Tripadvisor, Rough Guides, CNN, and the World Travel Awards have brought the name of Vietnam global coverage.

Rankings up thanks to historical tourism projects

Sun World Fansipan Legend

Looking at the above-mentioned awards and titles, it is not difficult to see that the investment in tourism infrastructure and the appearance of many high-class tourism, entertainment and resort projects has been worthwhile.

Under the investment of "leading cranes" such as Sun Group and Vingroup over the past decade, many destinations such as Sa Pa, Da Nang, Ha Long, and Phu Quoc have gradually changed their appearance. Leaving the image of a cheap destination behind and becoming continental tourist paradises with many high-class experiences. Outstanding tourist and resort projects such as: InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort, Golden Bridge or Sun World Ba Na Hills in Da Nang, Sun World Fansipan Legend in Sa Pa, and JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay in Phu Quoc have all helped these destinations make their mark on the map. 

Not only have they created record works, highlighting the key features of each area, strategic investors have also played a pioneering role in shaping professional tourism, so that Vietnamese tourism can improve rapidly both in terms of quality and quantity. The collection of prestigious awards and titles is a testament to the "sweet fruits" that Vietnam tourism has reaped for its efforts.

These achievements will be a solid foundation for the acceleration of Vietnam's tourism, as soon as the epidemic has been subdued.