VietNamNet Bridge – Foreign tourists have ranked the friendly smiles of Vietnamese people behind ao dai (traditional Vietnamese long dress), cuisine and destinations in terms of their recognition of Vietnam’s tourism, according to a recent survey.

A local vendor sells a souvenir to a foreign tourist in HCMC. A survey shows foreign tourists do not easily recognize Vietnamese smiles – Photo: Uyen Vien

The survey conducted by the Tourism Marketing Department under the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) found the smiles of locals, which the tourism industry wants foreigners to remember when talking about Vietnam, were not as easily recognized as other factors.

Halong Bay was the most famous among foreign visitors, followed by the capital of Hanoi, cuisine, the ancient town of Hoi An and HCMC (with the same ranking) and the Mekong Delta. In particular, tourists from Western Europe saw the Mekong Delta as a prominent destination since it gives them varied emotions after their visits.

According to the survey, foreign visitors chose the nation’s cultural tourism, especially food culture, history, heritage and daily life of locals were the most impressive to them.

The department’s deputy head Le Tuan Anh said at a conference at the three-day International Travel Expo (ITE) 2015 in HCMC last week that the survey was conducted to identify outstanding factors for a strategy to build a strong brand for Vietnam’s tourism until 2020.

Anh underscored the need to carry out market surveys to ascertain what foreign tourists expect from the local tourism sector to map out an effective strategy to develop a strong brand and better compete with other regional countries.

“We always want foreign visitors to know Vietnam as as a cultural and cuisine destination but we are unsure foreign tourists want this. Therefore, surveys are needed to support the branding,” Anh said.

Regarding the brand development orientation, Anh said the domestic tourism will keep using the slogan “Vietnam, the Timeless Charm” until 2020 and will draw up detailed promotion plans for each market.