In as far as making the greenback go places, nothing beats Southeast Asia. And in as far as stretching the dollar a little further, Vietnam is one of those places where less than $10 a day is livable.
Despite its tumultuous history, Vietnam is fast emerging as a hot go-to place for British and Australian tourists, outdoing its more popular neighbor Thailand. Quite obviously, the pound and dollar they bring go a really long way if they were to spend it here, getting (much) more value for every penny spent given the explosion of (less trodden) attractions that are just getting popular in the international travel scene. (Halong Bay, one of the New7Wonders, is just the tip of the karstic iceberg.)
Given this much needed confidence (and economic) boost, the Vietnamese government endeavors to keep up with the demands placed on its tourism infrastructure by initiating projects to improve roads, bridges and airports.
Flights to and from Hanoi and other regional hubs like Bangkok are currently being expanded, along with flights to local destinations like Da Nang and Nha Trang.
Promoting tourism is emergent, and this can be seen by the country’s first ever international tourism fair in Hanoi.
The need for Western standard accommodation is also being addressed, with 27,000 hotel rooms in Ho Chi Minh City expected to be completed by 2020.
Training programs and workshops to improve customer service skills have also been put in place to make the Vietnamese “friendlier” to local and international guests. In a country where English is not yet as fluently spoken (like in the Philippines), the best a service attendant can do is to be receptive of tourist needs and respond accordingly, even it means vigorous hand gestures.
With the government poised to capitalize on their country’s rising popularity among Western travelers, expect that Vietnam is going to give Thailand a run for its money (albeit it will not happen anytime soon). Airports, hotels and attitudes need time to develop, which means that for now, Vietnam is still going to be a raw destination not yet drowned in the trappings of Western homogenization.
Watch this video below for a compilation of must-see places before they get overwhelmed by eager tourists in the coming years.
