Revive & Refresh in Vietnam 2024 outstanding tourism events

1 - Vietnam elected member of the World Heritage Committee

Vietnam was elected a member of the World Heritage Committee for the 2023-2027 term with a ratio of 121/173 votes in favour, ranking first in the group of four Asia-Pacific regions and ranking second out of nine countries in the five elected areas.

As a member in the new term, Vietnam will have better conditions to contribute to completing and implementing the goals and priorities of the World Heritage Convention, sharing experiences in handling harmonise the relationship between conservation and development of World Heritage Sites in Vietnam.

2 - Vietnam named safest destination in Asia 2024

US travel guide Travel Off Path rates Vietnam as the safest destination in Asia to visit this year.

“A special country has proven to be stable and safe for tourists. That is Vietnam,” commented the guide.

Travel Off Path considers Vietnam to be “the precious gem of Southeast Asia” and the most attractive destination in Asia, with beautiful nature and a culture completely different from many countries. Experts also assess that Vietnam is “more stable and safer” than the US.

Meanwhile, the newest Global Law and Order ranking published by Gallup in late 2023, Vietnam is not only the most peaceful state in Asia but also the seventh worldwide with an enviable score of 92/100, in the top 10 dominated otherwise by European countries.

3 - Vietnam wins at the World Travel Awards

Vietnam was named the World’s Leading Heritage Destination in 2023, marking the fourth time receiving the prestigious award in the past five years.

Previously, Vietnam won Asia’s Leading Natural Destination and Asia’s Leading Destination at the World Travel Awards Asia and Oceania region. This is the fifth time Vietnam has been voted Asia’s Leading Destination and the second consecutive time it has won Asia’s Leading Natural Destination.

In 2023, Canadian magazine The Travel also voted Vietnam as one of the 10 friendliest destinations in the world.

4 - Halong Bay-Cat Ba recognised by UNESCO

The archipelago of Cat Ba and Halong was named a cultural heritage in a decision made during the 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held in Saudi Arabia last September. Previously, only Halong Bay was recognised.

According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, this complex is recognised because it contains many areas of diverse natural beauty, breathtaking scenery, salt lakes, and limestone mountains.

5 - Hoi An and Dalat recognised as Creative Cities

Dalat and Hoi An joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on World Cities Day in October 2023. After Hanoi became a UNESCO Creative City for design in 2019, Vietnam has now added a Creative City of Music and a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Arts.

According to the roadmap to 2030, every two years, a maximum of two Vietnamese cities will submit candidacy documents to join the network.

6 - Michelin stars arrive in Vietnamese restaurants

In June 2023, the world-famous Michelin Guide awarded stars for the first time to two restaurants in Hanoi and one restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Michelin Guide rates restaurants through a star system, with three stars being the highest.

7 - Vietnamese dishes recognised as Asian specialities

In December, the Asia Records Organisation headquartered in India announced a list of Asian specialities to promote, honour, and suggest international tourists to enjoy on their upcoming trips.

Vietnam has 10 representatives, divided equally in the categories of food and gifts. The five dishes are Saigon bread, Thua Thien-Hue mussel rice, Phan Thiet-Binh Thuan hot pot, Ninh Hoa grilled spring rolls from Khanh Hoa, and Soc Trang noodle soup.

Five natural specialities and gifts include green rice from Vong village in Hanoi, sweet potatoes in Quang Binh, sesame seeds candy in Thua Thien-Hue, Dalat strawberries, and banh tet Tra Cuon in Tra Vinh.

8 - Pho bo named among top dishes worldwide

On January 8, American news agency CNN announced the 20 most delicious soups or watery foods in the world for 2024. Vietnamese pho bo (beef noodle soup) was honoured by CNN as one of the 20 most delicious dishes in the world. The list is provided as suggestions for food enthusiasts to try on their upcoming trip.

“Pho is one of the best-known Vietnamese dishes in the world,” said Andrea Nguyen, author of The Pho Cookbook.

9 - Big names perform in Vietnam for first time

Last year recorded many bright spots in the development of Vietnam’s cultural industries. Concerts from BlackPink, Westlife, Maroon 5, Fatboy Slim, and others were deemed successful, as was the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2023. Many tourist attractions continuously innovate approaches and exploit to turn cultural fields into resources for cultural industry development. Developing cultural tourism and handicrafts is showing Vietnam’s efforts in its determination to achieve the goal that by 2030, cultural industries will contribute 7 per cent of GDP.

10 - New visa regulations issued

Resolutions were enacted on issuing e-visas to citizens of countries and territories, allowing foreigners to enter and exit with electronic visas and increasing the temporary residence period to a maximum of 45 days for citizens of 13 countries. The new rules came into effect from last August and have helped to unlock the tourism industry. Previously, the National Assembly approved a law amending and supplementing several articles of the Law on Entry and Exit of Vietnamese Citizens and the Law on Entry, Exit, Transit and Residence of Foreigners in Vietnam.

2024 an optimistic year for tourism & hospitality Vietnamese tourism has exceeded the goals set for 2023, with the number of international tourists in 2023 reaching over 12 million, equivalent to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Travel firms aiming for tourism boost Recent statistics published by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) showed the number of international visitors to Vietnam hit 12.6 million in 2023, 3.4 times higher than in 2022, and far exceeding the initial target of eight million.