Best places to visit in 2024

Julian Wong, general manager Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers

"An attractive country for business, meetings, and leisure"

Vietnam remains a country that international travellers like to explore, and it can only get better if we all work together to promote it effectively in key source markets as an attractive travel destination.

The process of obtaining a visa entails a relatively long waiting period, which causes challenges for many travellers needing to travel on short notice. This may explain why some travellers choose to change their intended destination to other Southeast Asia countries instead, especially for those travelling on a very short notice. Recently, a few Southeast Asian countries have embarked on visa waiver for most countries, and we feel that Vietnam should adopt the same strategy too.

Since the ease of obtaining a travel visa or having a visa free travel is one of the key determinants in a traveller’s destination selection, our recommendation is to make the process more accessible and faster, or even totally waive travel visas for inbound arrivals. Additionally, Vietnam could make the application process shorter for those coming for business purpose or to work here. If we could improve the working visa processes, this would be of considerable help to the hospitality industry as a whole and will definitely help in encouraging a strong recovery in international arrivals.

Last year, overall performance was very positive for Ho Chi Minh City hotels generally and for the Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers. We expected to recover to 2019 levels in 2023, but our overall occupancies in fact exceeded the 2019 level. That said, the majority of the recovery segments are from the business travel end, whilst the leisure segment was still below 2019’s level.

Vietnam continues to be a very attractive country whether for business, meetings, or leisure travels. Many companies are looking at investing in Vietnam or expanding their current operating capacity here. On the leisure front, Vietnam is perceived to be a country that is emerging and a fresh destination within the region, renowned for its beautiful culture, people, attractions, destination food and its rich history.

This year is looking promising at this point, with most hotels in Ho Chi Minh City recording higher occupancy level compared to a year earlier. We are still seeing the market being strong in business travel and events whilst leisure is recovering too, especially with returning overseas Vietnamese coming home for Lunar New Year. The food and beverages market is also robust, albeit softer than a year ago. Overall, if there are no unforeseen events, we should expect better outcomes in 2024 compared to last year.

Eugene Hendriks, general manager Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion

"Leverage Vietnam as emerging wellness and sustainability hotspot"

Last year was a mixed one for the tourism and hospitality industry. The local outbound tourism to neighbouring countries experienced an almost doubled if not tripled increase on-year, lured by attractive and competitive outbound packages.

The government visa policy relaxation enabled additional flights routes from selected countries, i.e. Australia; assisted Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion’s growth in this market. The VAT rate of 8 per cent has assisted us to remain competitive.

We wish that the local authorities see the hospitality segment as business partners since we not only consist of hotels and resorts, but of travel agencies, airlines, transport, F&B, and entertainment to name a few. Together, active participation in the trade show and targeted consumer events to promote the destination, and this is an area our neighbouring countries like Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia do well and are active on road shows and tourism promotions.

Another opportunity is to market wellness and sustainability, as the Global Wellness Economy has achieved $5.6 trillion in 2022, representing 12.1 per cent growth from 2020 to 2022. By 2027, according to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy is projected to reach $8.47 trillion at an 8.6 per cent compound annual growth rate.

Vietnam’s cuisine is one of the healthiest foods in the world, so this is perfect for wellbeing travellers. By nature, Vietnamese people are extremely warm and accommodating. We should leverage Vietnam as an emerging wellness and sustainability, and solely as an economical and cheap destination.

As a wellness destination, we promote sustainable tourism outdoors; naturally the first thing that comes to mind is bathing in the naturally rich thermal-mineral hot springs, enjoying our authentic Japanese onsen, hiking, biking, swimming, outdoor barefoot walking meditation, Yoga and Qi-gong. Outdoor activities eliminate the use of power (air-conditioning, lights, etc.), but also reconnects us with the richness of Mother Nature.

Over the years, Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion has taken the lead in Vietnam and has received both global, and regional recognition through these prestigious wellness and sustainability awards for our numerous efforts, initiatives and core values for sustainability and going green.

Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, founder and general director,YLY Group

"Creative solutions address shophouse and townhouse surplus"

Vietnam’s tourism possesses a diverse and highly attractive allure, encompassing landscapes, culture, cuisine, and its people. To boost Vietnam’s competitiveness as an intriguing destination, one might consider several solutions.

First would be to foster Vietnamese pride through a series of creative and challenging events and activities, with the aim of achieving a natural dissemination of this pride from the Vietnamese people themselves, and subsequently, extending it to the world. Secondly, it could invest in arts and performances to propagate the cultural richness and beauty of Vietnam as a destination.

In 2024, Vietnam is predicted to be impacted by an economic downturn, but it also opens up attractive investment opportunities for the small and medium-sized hotel segment. The surplus of unoperated buildings, including shop houses, townhouses, villas, and mini hotels due to the previous real estate boom, has created an opportunity for chain hotel operators like YLY Group to expand their service points across Vietnam. Actually, the state’s promotional policies have a significant and effective impact on the domestic market. Especially, after thorough research and experimentation, YLY Group presents its love boutique hotel chain, called YLY Boutique. Developed based on the idea of creating an environment and solution that fosters ever-fresh emotional experiences, ensuring that love remains genuine, authentic, and continuously connected over time and the ebb and flow of life. YLY Boutique is not merely a hotel experience; it’s a creative solution addressing the surplus of shophouses, townhouses, and more in the current real estate market, promising effective utilisation of assets nationwide.

Minh Ngo, general manager Wyndham Grand Phu Quoc

"A year of healing and sustainability"

One of the outstanding policies in 2023 is to extend the free visa exemption up to 90 days for foreign visitors to Phu Quoc. It can be clearly seen that by the end of 2023, the number of tourists coming to Phu Quoc has gradually increased again. Free visa conditions can help us create beneficial incentives for tourists.

The increase in tourist numbers gives us hope for the expansion of international tourist markets and the stable growth of the domestic tourism market. That’s a good sign of recovery by opening more International direct flights to Phu Quoc during Lunar New Year.

Phu Quoc is a true treasure of a golden forest with a silver sea. This place has many tourism advantages, both natural and man-made, comparable to those of other destinations in the region. Hopefully, in 2024, Phu Quoc will have more destination marketing programmes to promote us to international tourists, and visitors will have more diverse travel experiences.

This will be a year of travelling for healing, sustainability, and getaways to the beach as well as attention to local culture. More people are focused on local culture, yoga, meditation, and unwinding on the beach. At Wyndham Grand Phu Quoc, we strive to improve our guest’s experience in mind, balance, and body, and discover the nature and local culture of Vietnam as well as Phu Quoc island.

Franck Rodriguez, area general manager Banyan Tree Lang Co & Angsana Lang Co

"Leveraging services into elevated lifestyle experiences"

I believe 2024 will be a year of strong and steady business performance with the resume of more international flights, especially from the US or China, as well as new route from emerging markets such as India.

We also expect a higher demand for wedding and further food and beverage offerings that cater to specific needs. Business coming from overseas also has potential for us, with large groups looking for inspiring venues with locally infused experiences. To meet the evolving business demand, we’re now repositioning our food and beverage concepts and leveraging our offers into elevated lifestyle experiences.

I would expect the local authorities to aggressively promote Vietnam and its central coast with more unique marketing campaigns featuring Vietnam’s cultural richness and diverse experiences. It would be excellent if we could ease the visa processes and restrictions for the critical markets. It’s urgent to resume the specific routes, particularly from China and the international long-haul flights to Danang, in order to capture a larger market with high demand throughout the year. For the domestic market, we have to maintain a reasonable domestic airfare to stimulate the domestic travel demand.

Thanks to various encouraging policies from the government, especially the tourist visa extension for long-haul markets, as well as the highlight of Central Vietnam in several marketing efforts done by the tourism bureau, we were able to leverage our brand and products by driving more eyeballs on Vietnam as a solid travel destination that is safe, rich in culture with good value for money and offers amazing culinary experiences. With more advantages provided by the government, our business partners also started to focus on promoting our destination, which provided us with a precious opportunity to enhance our visibility and transactions.

We have been working with consulting and advisory group EarthCheck since 2015 to ensure scientifically proven and critically defendable systems towards environmental preservation and conservation across operations. Last year, we launched our on-site biodiversity initiative that offers the first-of-its-kind bird-watching resort activity and a bird photo gallery, raising the awareness of preserving the biodiversity in the region.

In 2024, Banyan Group will align with the UN’s climate science-based targets to develop a comprehensive 2030 sustainability roadmap that addresses both environmental and human capital development in line with its founding ethos of embracing the environment and empowering people.

Robert Menzies Francis, cluster general manager Bel Marina Hoi An Resort

"2024 will depend on global conditions, political stability, and public health"

At Bel Marina Hoi An Resort, we have taken full advantage of stronger conditions by actively participating in government-led campaigns, investing in infrastructure improvements, staying updated on policies, and investing in marketing and promotional activities.

We have implemented several initiatives to operate Bel Marina Hoi An Resort and its services

towards responsible and sustainable travel. We have some solutions in place, including energy

efficiency, water conservation, waste management, community engagement, education and awareness. Furthermore, we think that small changes can make a big difference; together, we can contribute to a more sustainable future.

2024 will depend on global economic conditions, political stability, and public health. A blooming year for the tourism and hospitality industry, including the F&B market, is possible if these factors are favourable. However, it is essential to note that the recovery and growth of the tourism and hospitality industry heavily relies on factors like travel restrictions, consumer confidence, and overall economic stability. These factors are subject to change and can be influenced by unforeseen events.

There are four things that we can do in 2024 to promote the tourism and hospitality in Vietnam. Firstly, we need to enhance marketing and branding efforts to raise awareness about Vietnam as a tourist destination. This can include participating in international travel fairs and exhibitions, hosting familiarisation trips for travel agents and journalists, and leveraging social media platforms to showcase the country’s unique attractions.

Secondly, is to focus on sustainable tourism practices: we need to encourage local communities and businesses to adopt sustainable initiatives that preserve the environment, protect cultural heritage, and benefit local communities.

Thirdly, we should improve hospitality service. We must train and educate hospitality professionals to provide excellent customer service and create memorable experiences for tourists. This can include language training and improving the quality of accommodation, dining, and entertainment options.

And finally, we must participate in international tourism fairs and events: This is an excellent way for local authorities in Vietnam to promote tourism and hospitality globally. These events provide a platform to showcase the country’s attractions, culture, and hospitality services to a broad audience.

Mario Caballero, cluster general manager Meliá Vinpearl Phu Quoc

"Willing to pay for high-end services"

Vietnam’s tourism sector is rebounding, but the growth is still being affected by economic consequences. Thanks to encouraging policies from the government with relaxed immigration rules and visa policies, many hotels and resorts have welcomed more inbound guests to Vietnam.

In the period of tourism recovery, Meliá Vinpearl Phu Quoc worked proactively to attract a new group of international vacationers. In 2023, we were among the pioneers in successfully scheduling weekly charter flights and providing the best all-inclusive vacations.

Honoured as the best luxury all-inclusive resort of the year by Robb Report, Meliá Vinpearl Phu Quoc’s all-inclusive concept started well and strongly grew in popularity, providing a fully immersive holiday for both domestic and international travellers with a variety of experiences. Compared to 2019, we are now focusing on delivering quality services and intimate hospitality that highlights our philosophy of “Soul Matters” and the destination’s feel throughout all touchpoints, from pre-arrival to arrival, during their stay, and long after they checked out.

Last year, Meliá Vinpearl Phu Quoc achieved over 90 per cent occupancy rates. In November, daily international guest arrivals, especially from the Czech Republic, exceeded 1,000, reaching up to 2,000 during peak periods. There has been a positive shift in the number of domestic tourists, showing a growth rate of 20 per cent compared to 2022. The figure is expected to remain with high occupancy until April.

Global tourism is set to fully return to pre-pandemic levels by 2025, and Vietnam will become an attractive destination with high development potential, leading to a higher demand for luxury and unique experiences.

Vietnam has almost every kind of natural landscape and diverse culture in just one country. Local authorities can create more cultural tourism products and coordinate with travel agencies or international hotel brands to strengthen the application of digital technology and deploy diverse forms of marketing communication.

Continued improvements in infrastructure associated with environmental protection must be highly prioritised. We should work towards enhancing the further development of human resources with comprehensive training.

Travellers are willing to pay for high-end services and are open to experiential travel. In 2024, our goal is to bring immersive and luxury experiences that exceed guest expectations.

Goetz Bauer, cluster general manager Vinpearl Landmark 81 Autograph Collection

"Marketing as a tourist destination"

We are optimistic for the future and do hope that 2024 will be stronger than 2023. Nevertheless, a lot will also depend on what happens in our key source markets. The accessibility/flight connection to resort destinations as well as the cost development will be the trigger how successful 2024 will be.

Vietnam is very rich in culture, amazing destinations, excellent food, and heritage, but the modern Vietnam should not be neglected. It has transformed to a country focusing on high-quality products and has proven to be ready for the future.

Currently, I am overlooking nine Marriott Hotels in Vietnam and we see a good recovery and business development in the city destinations, while the resorts are still falling short compared to several years ago. Especially, Phu Quoc is a key challenge for us due to reduced flights to the island. However, there are three areas which would be beneficial for Vietnam to consider. Firstly, we need to develop a marketing campaign to promote it worldwide as a tourist destination. Secondly, we need to establish the destination to make it much easier for meetings industry organisers to consider Vietnam as a destination. Lastly, we should arrange or allow transit-business for the Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc route to speed up travel to the island for those coming from outside the country.

Tiffany Hwang, General manager Sheraton Hanoi Hotel

"Significant upswing in travel and hotel business"

The extended reduced VAT 8 per cent policy until June 2024 enabled us to enhance competitiveness in both room rates and services. Simultaneously, we seized the opportunity presented by the increase in inbound flights, particularly from China, India and UAE.

Observing a notable growth in room nights, we directed focused marketing campaigns to target these resumed and new markets. Furthermore, the surge in industries establishing factories in Vietnam created additional opportunities for our hotel, prompting us to proactively approach and secure new business traveller accounts.

Expecting a blooming year for the tourism and hospitality industry in 2024, our hotel anticipates heightened interest in Vietnam. This is attributed to the country’s unique cultural offerings and recognised culinary specialities. Notably, Tripadvisor’s latest statistics crown Hanoi as the top food destination globally in 2024, coupled with the presence of Michelin since 2023. These factors contribute to positioning Hanoi as a prominent food tourism destination.

To promote Vietnam’s tourism and hospitality globally, we suggest emphasising the country’s unique natural attractions as a draw for international tourists. Highlighting the importance of consistent pricing and offering value-for-money products and experiences, we recommend aligning with successful practices from destinations like Taiwan. Additionally, we advocate for a commitment to maintaining consistent and high-quality service standards, underscoring the significance of competitive pricing. In addition, addressing public transportation is crucial to enhancing the ease and convenience for individual foreign travellers, drawing inspiration from the accessible systems established in destinations, such as Thailand.

Christophe Pairaud, cluster general manager Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha & Novotel Suites Hanoi

"Strong confidence in business results for 2024"

Regarding hotel occupancy, Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha has seen a development of around 200 per cent in all segments compared to last year. However, the highlight is the great increase in the number of international leisure segments, which sees impressive growth compared to 2022.

The South Korean market this year counts for 34 per cent, Taiwan counts for 18 per cent, and India counts for 5 per cent of our total occupancy this year. We have also worked hard to provide quality, safe, and quality services to adapt to each market’s needs and preferences.

With the Vietnamese government’s continuous effort and many activities this year to promote Vietnam as a destination in the Indian market, we have seen the strongest growing demand from this very potential market this year and that looks to continue to keep on rising in the coming year.

Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha has a strong confidence in the business results of the hotel this year, when we have welcomed many customers from different markets. We believe that the inbound tourism market still has a lot of potential to recover and develop, and will continue to strive to improve the quality of service and customer satisfaction.

In terms of food and beverages, we have plans to promote regional ethnic minority food through buffet display animated by guest chefs to our leisure tour business. We have also input an Indian corner at breakfast dedicated to Indian guests. We will also organise special regional food festivals to pull in local customers as well as international travellers. Furthermore, we are excited to prepare for our rooftop tapas concept overlooking the city, which is in finalisation.

Gregory Jean Cosyn, general manager Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne

"Generating Mui Ne as a must-visit destination "

The government is doing a wonderful job of attracting tourists from all over the world. The new visa rules will further strengthen its position as an entry and exit hub in the region and will compete with markets like Thailand and Taiwan.

Centara Mirage is a part of Centara Hotels & Resorts, which has a strong focus on renewable, sustainable, and responsible tourism. We focus on renewable energy and eco-friendly waste disposal. We also minimise the use of single-use plastic in the resort and use glass bottles for drinking water for guests in the rooms and restaurants. The resort opened in 2021 and had a steady increase in occupancy in 2022. Furthermore, being the largest family destination resort in Phan Thiet, we embraced this opportunity and passed on all the benefits related to our guests and so generated demand for Phan Thiet and Mui Ne as a must-visit destination in Vietnam.

In addition, we have completely revamped our menu in our F&B outlets to suit the profile of our customers, which is testament to the success gained from our efforts.

Christoph Marcel Strahm, general manager Pan Pacific Hanoi

"Tourism is vibrant and on way to recovering"

2023 was a fantastic year of recovery as people started travelling again to reconnect, explore new destinations, and meet for business. Thanks to various incentives and encouraging policies from the government, we are poised to take advantage of them to develop and extend services to our guests through events celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with Japan, Singapore, and France.

We continue to invest in our people, create sincere destination concepts, and let our guests experience Singaporean culinary culture with Laksa Noodle soup to make guests feel at home.

Overall, Vietnam tourism is vibrant and on its way to recovering. This will enable us to create wonderful experience and services sought after by travellers, and increase the chances to extend target market to Taiwan, India, and Italy in 2024.

Although the Vietnamese tourism market is recovering, our booking and occupancy has not reached the same level as before the pandemic. Nevertheless, if we only look at statistics of booking and occupancy to evaluate whether hospitality has had a successful year or not, it is difficult. We need to clearly classify sources and objects to know whether the target customer has come to us and whether it has really recovered as expected.

In addition, it is necessary to accurately calculate the spending level of guests. If we can welcome long-stay, high-spending guests, this brings a positive sign.

This will be a year with many challenges, but it has also opened up many new opportunities for the tourism industry. Vietnam’s tourism industry should undergo a significant transformation, syncing all services for both local and international tourists and having a correct assessment of the domestic tourism and the national tourism stimulus policy.

The richness of Hanoi’s cuisine and the city’s reputation for healthy eating have contributed to making this city an attractive destination in Asia. It has received stars from the Michelin Guide and has been selected by TripAdvisor as one of the world’s top culinary destinations. This shows that Vietnamese cuisine is gradually gaining a foothold on the world’s food map.

This brings great potential to pull in international visitors. Going forward, the tourism industry should continue to promote unique and various ideas for Vietnamese gastronomy worldwide, specifically street food. At the same time, we will also strengthen cooperation between travel agencies in organising food tours and taking part in developing Truc Bach walking streets.

Pham Hung Cuong, director of Sales & Marketing Park Hyatt Saigon

"Demand for diverse culinary experiences"

We expect that the tourism and hospitality industry will continue to recover and grow, and the food and beverages market is expected to play a critical role.

Firstly, the Michelin Guide arrived in Vietnam in 2023, placing Vietnam on the world stage for culinary, beverage and service excellence. The increasing demand for authentic and diverse culinary experiences is a positive trend. Vietnam, renowned for its variety of local specialities and delicacies prepared with fresh, diverse ingredients, is well-positioned to capitalise on this trend, offering travellers a rich and varied gastronomic journey.

And more, with a focus on health and wellness, travellers become mindful of their physical and mental wellbeing. This shift in consumer behaviour translates into a preference for organic, plant-based options. In response, providing guests with healthy and balanced meals is becoming a key factor in attracting and satisfying customers.

In 2023, our hotel strategically leveraged the government’s tourism incentives to boost our business. Active participation in domestic tourism stimulus programmes resulted in a remarkable doubling of our domestic travel in 2023. Additionally, we utilised tax relief, credit support, and fee reduction measures to enhance value-based offerings. Our commitment to service quality was further reinforced with signature experiences and luxury touchpoints, meeting the high standards of luxury travellers.

Park Hyatt Saigon is dedicated to responsible, green, and sustainable practices in our operations. Embracing energy-efficient and water-saving measures, such as the Eco Track application and smart devices, we also introduced sustainable bathroom amenities, eliminating single-use plastic. Our transition to bamboo or wooden alternatives for plastic amenities, the use of glass water bottles in guest rooms, and eco-friendly tupperware reflect our commitment.

Additionally, we focus on reducing food waste through the Lumitics system and offer sustainable seafood, plant-based, and cage-free egg options.

Varun Grover, country head Booking.com Vietnam

"Travel is no longer just a way to escape life"

Based on our Travel Predictions 2024 report, we have observed that travel is no longer a means to escape life, but, rather, travel is life. Travel is truly back in full swing, and this is evident with the 81 per cent of Vietnamese travellers revealing that they feel more alive than ever when they are on holiday. Given this, we anticipate that more people will be setting out on travel in the year ahead.

We also anticipate that the tourism and hospitality industry will see bright spots via the F&B market with the rise of the culinary excavators trend this year. Based on our Travel Predictions 2024 report, we anticipate gastro-tourism to be one of the trends among Vietnamese travellers, especially given that 73 per cent of Vietnamese travellers are interested in discovering more about a destination’s “must-eat” delicacies than ever before. Almost 95 per cent want to try indigenous cuisines and explore heritage flavours in 2024. To add to this, the announcement last year of the Michelin guide means more travellers are more encouraged to seek gastro-tourism this year.

We have the unique opportunity to lead and support positive changes throughout the industry. We also recognise that we have a responsibility to ensure there is always a world worth experiencing. That’s why our company mission – making it easier for everyone to experience the world – feeds into our sustainability mission: making sure there is a world worth experiencing.

Keeping this in mind, we launched our flagship Travel Sustainable programme in 2021 for accommodations – a credible, globally relevant sustainability measure that provides information to travellers all over the world looking to make more sustainable travel choices.

Travellers can simply go to our website or app and as they browse through the different properties, they can select sustainability as one of the filters. By toggling this filter, travellers can easily find properties that have adopted sustainable practices and make their sustainable choices accordingly.

In addition to this, we created the sustainability handbook in collaboration with specialists to assist our accommodation partners on this path.

Phan Huu Duc, Business development director TUI BLUE Hotels & Resorts Vietnam & Cambodia

"Strategic marketing campaigns are key"

Our hotels have also achieved better business results thanks to the incentives and encouraging policies from the government. With rapid maturity by the end of 2023, the tourism industry expects that 2024 will have a strong breakthrough, welcoming 17-18 million international visitors. This number can determine the mindset of the tourism industry to fully recover, and at the same time set up significant pieces of controversy with countries in the region.

However, it’s necessary to promote Vietnam’s tourism and hospitality industry on the global map,and this requires a multi-faceted approach. Firstly, the nation needs strategic marketing campaigns to develop targeted and innovative marketing showcasing Vietnam’s diverse attractions, cultural richness, and unique experiences. It must utilise digital platforms, social media, and collaborations with influencers to reach a global audience.

Secondly, state authorities should collaborate with travel influencers to share their experiences in Vietnam. Their authentic and personal accounts can influence potential tourists and create a positive image.

Third is to highlight sustainable tourism to emphasise Vietnam’s commitment to sustainable and responsible tourism - showcase eco-friendly initiatives, conservation efforts, and community engagement to attract environmentally conscious travellers. Next would be to promote cultural exchange programmes to foster understanding and appreciation of Vietnam’s heritage, and encourage partnerships with international organisations for cultural events and festivals.

Finally, Vietnam can focus on infrastructure investment by improving transportation, accommodation, and other infrastructure to ensure a seamless and comfortable experience for visitors. Enhancements in these areas can contribute to positive word-of-mouth and repeat visits.

Tourism products are built from the natural resources and unique culture of each locality, region, and country. Products that attract tourists will make an important contribution to economic development, preserving and promoting local cultural values, creating many interesting, unique and memorable experiences for tourists.

Tourists tend to choose sustainable and responsible tourism products. Therefore, tourism products on green activities, volunteering, and developing community culture will create a special impression and attraction for international visitors and young people.

Sunny Ghaiee, executive assistant manager Hanoi Daewoo Hotel

"Tailoring services to meet the preferences and expectations of tourists"

Anticipating the new year of 2024, we hold optimistic expectations for a robust recovery in the tourism and hospitality industry, particularly within the F&B market. Encouraging signs are evident, driven by the concerted efforts of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and tourism departments across provinces and cities to promote Vietnam globally.

In 2023, Hanoi Daewoo Hotel adeptly navigated the wave of recovery facilitated by the Vietnamese government’s strategic incentives. The government’s initiative to tap into the Indian market presented a unique opportunity for hotels across the country.

Recognising the significance of this development, we tailored our services to meet the preferences and expectations of Indian tourists. This thoughtful adaptation not only resulted in a notable uptick in Indian visitors but also established our hotel as a preferred choice for this growing market segment.

Additionally, the government’s decision to reduce the tax rate from 10 per cent to 8 per cent marked a significant shift, making Vietnam a more appealing and budget-friendly destination.

In 2023, we achieved 80 per cent occupancy rate compared to pre-pandemic levels. This is a substantial rebound that showcases the resilience and adaptability of our establishment in the face of unprecedented circumstances. In terms of F&B, we are pleased to report a complete recovery. Our restaurant experienced a resurgence, reaching pre-pandemic levels of activity.

Hanoi Daewoo Hotel is dedicated to the principles of responsible, green, and sustainable travel. Our initiatives include robust energy and water conservation programmes, along with a commitment to minimise single-use plastics and progress towards a zero-plastic environment.

Additionally, we actively engage our guests in sustainability efforts, encouraging practices such as linen reuse to reduce water and chemical consumption. Our focus on responsible travel aligns with global sustainability trends, reflecting our commitment to environmental stewardship in the hospitality industry.

Vietnam has indeed made many efforts in promoting itself as a compelling destination. To enhance its competitiveness with other Asian markets, such as Thailand and Taiwan, a valuable suggestion would be to streamline the visa application process. By easing visa requirements, Vietnam can significantly enhance its appeal, encouraging a higher flow of international travellers.