Vietnam’s tourism stays strong united

At a recent meeting with the UNESCO representative in Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy reaffirmed that Vietnam remains a safe travel destination amid the global COVID-19 epidemic.

Since the very early stage when Vietnam officially declared COVID-19 an epidemic in the country in February, there have been continuous efforts in controlling and preventing the spread of the coronavirus. The total 16 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have already recovered and were discharged from hospitals, while there are currently no newly infected patients. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health has declared the province Khanh Hoa free of the COVID-19 epidemic while Thanh Hoa is also ready to announce the same status, after recording no new patient for nearly 40 days.

These positive results, along with the determination of the campaign Every Tourist is Safe in Vietnam that the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has set out, lend a hand to show that Vietnam remains one of the most-wanted destinations.

Ngo Hoai Chung, vice chairman of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said the industry has always considered travellers to Vietnam and their safety as one of the top priorities. In addition, Vietnam strictly monitors and controls the epidemic, therefore, tourists from other countries and territories outside the epicentres can be assured of their safety when coming to Vietnam.

Vietnam’s tourism stays strong united

PREEMPTIVE MEASURES

In Hanoi, the Department of Culture and Sports has co-operated with the Department of Tourism to carry out disinfections at tourist attractions. Some organisations and businesses also proactively participate in epidemic prevention activities for tourists, such as with the free distribution of face masks around the city by Hanoi’s UNESCO Travel Club.

Representatives from major hotels in Hanoi, such as Movenpick, Sheraton, and InterContinental said they have also disinfected all of their facilities, provided face masks, and hand wash to tourists. Many hotels even measured their staff’s body temperature and set up an in-house medical team staying on-call. As such, Muong Thanh Hospitality also requires its employees to regularly wash their hands with antibacterial soap or alcohol-based disinfectant before serving customers, while also providing free masks for guests staying at any of their hotels.

In Ho Chi Minh City, free masks distributions also took place at certain spots to serve local people and tourists around the Notre Dame Cathedral, the central post office, the Saigon Opera House, and the Independence Palace, among others. Besides that, all of the daily high-speed trains from Bach Dang Wharf in District 1 to Vung Tau and the other way around are disinfected before and after each trip. The trains’ staff will check passengers’ body temperature upon boarding and the trains are also equipped with hand sanitisers and face masks so that every passenger’s safety coming to Ho Chi Minh City can be ensured.

At other renowned tourist destinations such as Hoi An, Danang, and Nha Trang, major tourism businesses like Vingroup or Sun Group all conduct proper epidemic prevention measures in their premises and tourism areas. Sun Group has been disinfecting its entire hotel and resort network four times a day, including Novotel Danang Premier Han River, Premier Village Danang Resort, and JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay, among others.

Meanwhile, travel agencies and hotels are also constantly updating their visitors and guests with health protection recommendations from Vietnam’s Ministry of Health. Sandra Andersen, a Danish tourist told Timeout, “Vietnam is safe, we might say. But when staying in the middle of a crowd we will prefer to wear face masks just in case. We also keep track of the news about the virus, just in case the situation gets too dangerous for us. However, for the moment we will still keep on touring as planned.”

PROACTIVE PROMOTIONS

In addition to enhancing measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic and protect travellers, Vietnam’s tourism industry is also implementing the campaign Vietnam – I am Safe with vast promotional activities and incentive packages to attract more tourists.

The Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) recently launched the programme Tourism Stimulation Alliance 2020 which is supported by aviation, hospitality, transportation, and many restaurants. A lot of tour discounts from 30 to 50 per cent have been introduced by travel agencies and airlines during this occasion.

Besides that, the four Vietnamese provinces Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Gia Lai, and Dak Lak have also joined VITA’s programme. According to VITA’s vice chairman Vu The Binh, these provinces are barely affected by the COVID-19 epidemic, therefore, they are the first to be selected in implementing our programme. Afterwards, the VITA will expand its alliance with more provinces in Vietnam. In February and early-March, the alliance has organised a number of survey programmes throughout the country to build plans for new tours for domestic and foreign visitors.

Elsewhere, travel businesses themselves also embarked on a large-scale social media campaign to promote Vietnam as a safe destination for international visitors. In the newly established Facebook group Vietnam Safe Travel, tourists and hundreds of tour operators and guides across the country continuously upload pictures and video clips, capturing joyful moments of Vietnam during this period.

Bobby Nguyen, CEO of Mekong Rustic, who also participates in this Facebook group, said “Vietnam Safe Travel is a means for Vietnamese tourism businesses to show their solidarity and contribute to the common goal of easing Vietnam’s tourism industry during the hardship caused by the global epidemic. We hope our guests can understand our efforts and be satisfied with Vietnam so that each guest will become an ambassador promoting Vietnam not only as an attractive but also a safe destination.”