Some days ago, 7News praised Vietnam’s achievements in fighting against Covid-19. It commented that Vietnam is leading in terms of preventing the spread of the epidemic and protecting its citizens.

Thanks to a series of measures to fight the epidemic, Vietnam, with population of 100 million, close to China, has had only slightly more than 300 infection cases and no deaths so far.

Other international newswires including FAZ (Germany), Nation (the US), Lenta.ru (Russia), Liberation, Ouest-France and Le Point (France) have also published
articles hailing Vietnam’s achievements.

Analysts said if Vietnam continues to contain the epidemic, its tourism sector may open its doors to receive foreign tourists from Q3.

Tran Thi Thanh Tam, manager of Chez Mimoza chain in HCM City, said Vietnam’s images are positive in the eyes of the international community. Expat groups in Vietnam and foreign travelers on Linkedln have recently questioned when foreigners can return to Vietnam because they had heard the social distancing policy had been lifted.

“Beautiful landscapes, diverse culture and great achievements in the fight against Covid-19 will help tourism recover more quickly than planned,” she said.

Analysts believe that Vietnam has great opportunities to develop tourism in the post-Covid-19 period as the country has controlled the spread of the disease and can provide services at competitive prices.

Nguyen Son Thuy, director of Indochina Unique Tourism also said the effective fight against Covid-19 will help polish the national tourism brand.

Besides, the tourism sector has two other great advantages – reasonable service fees and good experiece in serving tourists. Travel firms all affirmed that they will have better policies when the market opens again.

Travel + Leisure magazine has recently listed 17 ideal destinations where travelers should go after Covid-19. Vietnam, together with the Philippines, is on the list, with its advantages in beautiful landscapes and beaches, and prices.

The tourism management agency is considering plans to reopen the international market. The most likely scenario is reopening in September.

Experts believe that nearby markets, including China and South Korea, will recover sooner than others. Nguyen Son Thuy of Indochina Unique Tourist said his partners in Southeast Asia are awaiting decisions from their governments to organize tours, possibly in July or August.

Meanwhile, markets farther away will only see considerable improvements next year.

In 2019, Vietnam received a record of 18 million foreign visitors, an increase of 16 percent against 2018.

Kim Chi 

Alliance of airlines, travel and hotels to boost domestic tourism

Deals among airlines, travel companies and hotels are expected to help boost tourism as the sector deals with the ravages of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  

ASEAN 2020: online meetings save travel, organisations costs

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and General Secretary of the National ASEAN 2020 Committee Nguyen Quoc Dung spoke of the organisation of the upcoming 36th ASEAN Summit as well as topics to be tabled for discussion at the meeting,