The number of foreign arrivals in the first 10 months of this year was 10 million, well above the target of eight million for the full year, but still modest compared to neighbors like Thailand ( 23.2 million) and Malaysia (14.4 million).
While industry players have urged the government to scrap visas for nationals of wealthier countries, some foreigners suggest Vietnam should look elsewhere to help tourism recover.
“The government needs to look into excessive pricing by taxi drivers, especially at the airport,” said American Jeremy Baratta, who visited Vietnam last month.
“It does not bode well for the tourism industry when a visitor’s first experience in the country is ripped off.”
He was shocked when a taxi driver charged him VND500,000 (US$21) for a three-kilometer journey, more than 10 times the normal price.
Since Vietnam reopened post-Covid in March last year, a number of taxi scams have been reported by foreign tourists and authorities have repeatedly pledged to crack down on the phenomenon.
Baratta was also deceived by a SIM card seller who told him a card was valid for three months but was locked after 10 days.
German Peter Zimmermann, who has been coming to Vietnam for five or six months every winter since 2013, said several things prevent foreigners like him from returning to Vietnam after just one visit.
“This is the waste that is lying everywhere in the streets and squares. There is nothing like this in Thailand or Malaysia, and especially in Hong Kong and Singapore. It is shocking to see how the Vietnamese treat their environment. Only in Vietnam did we see people sitting at food stalls next to huge piles of garbage and food.”
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Peter Zimmermann (right) and his wife in Nha Trang, May 2022. Photo courtesy of Peter Zimmermann |
He said garbage should be removed and draconian penalties imposed on people who litter.
The volume of plastic waste dumped at famous tourist destinations is occurring at an “alarming rate”, according to a recent report from the Tourism Development Research Institute and the International Organization for Conservation of Nature.
Loud karaoke is another thing he finds overwhelming.
“No consideration is given to other neighbors at night, especially from drunk people.”
Vietnam now offers a three-month tourist visa to visitors from all countries and territories.
Australian Mukul Arora, who arrived in Vietnam last month, said his bad experience was not linked to obtaining a visa but to the slow immigration procedures at the airport, which “takes time hours”.
Martin Koerner, chairman of the Vietnam Business Forum’s tourism working group, said one of the most common complaints from tourists visiting Vietnam is the long waiting time at immigration at airports, especially at HCMC.
Entry and exit procedures are often “slow and inefficient,” causing frustration and inconvenience for travelers, he said.
“There are no lines reserved for women with children or the elderly.”
In May, the government admitted that the tourism industry faced major challenges such as poor infrastructure, environmental problems and a shortage of skilled tourism workers, adding that the digital transformation of tourism was slow.
Vietnam is now aiming to attract 12 to 13 million visitors this year.
