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After three years of waiting, many tourism companies in Vietnam have expressed disappointment that the country is not on the list 20 countries China has allowed its travel agencies to organize outbound trips from February 6.
In the list of countries China will travel to, there are seven in Southeast Asia, two of which share a border with Vietnam: Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. According to a representative of Guangxi Overseas Travel Company in China’s Guangxi province, the reason Vietnam was not included in the list was due to “procedural issues”.
Since China announced the reopening of the border from January 8, 2023, Ngo Lan Phuong, CEO of Hanoi-based Kim Lien International Travel Co, whose company specializes in tourists traveling from China, had begun preparing to welcome large groups welcome Chinese tourists. She was surprised by the news, stating that it was beyond her company’s expectations, and felt that all their preparation efforts, such as launching new tourism products, were in vain.
While there have been Chinese visitors since the border reopened, these were mainly those who came on business visas for business travel. A pre-Covid policy that allowed Chinese visitors who came in groups to visit Quang Ninh visa-free for up to three days has also yet to resume.
China makes up a large portion of tourists visiting Vietnam, with the pre-pandemic year 2019 5.8 million arrivals from China, making it Vietnam’s largest source of foreign tourism that year. As a result, the Vietnamese tourism industry eagerly awaits the return of Chinese tourists, and is ready in terms of staff and services to resume normal travel between the two countries.
Ben Thanh Market is a large marketplace in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in District 1. The market is one of the oldest surviving buildings in Saigon and an important symbol of Ho Chi Minh City, popular with tourists visiting looking for local handicrafts, textiles, etc dai and souvenirs as well as local cuisine.
Vietnam may wait, but the other countries on the list, especially the tourist attractions such as Thailand and Indonesia, have already welcomed large groups of Chinese for the first time in three years. Thailand, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, is set to welcome five million arrivals from China this year.
Vietnam is a popular destination among people all over the world and was the fifth most visited country in the Asia-Pacific region in 2019 when it welcomed 18 million international visitors. Home to some of the world’s most extraordinary subterranean landscapes, dizzying metropolises and legendary cuisine, its low cost of living makes it popular with digital nomads and expats alike.
Although it is considered quite a safe country to visit, Vietnam has strict laws and customs, which are based on the ancient culture and the characteristics of the local lifestyle. Many things that seem to be the norm in more westernized countries, such as gambling and play online casino games, are illegal and even Internet use itself has restrictions. Punishments can be incredibly harsh, including the capital punishment for certain crimes such as drug and sex offences. Despite this, it still seems to be at the top of many travelers’ bucket lists.
There are talks to resume travel between China and Vietnam soon, and the airline industry is said to be making arrangements to resume regular air routes between the two countries, which are expected to begin in March. While Vietnam missed an influx of Chinese tourists in February, forecasts predict they could receive between 3 and 4.5 million visitors from China this year, which would be the equivalent of 50-80% of pre-pandemic levels .
It may have been popular before the pandemic, but tourism in general in Vietnam is struggling to recover of the Covid-19 slowdown, with the country welcoming just 2.4 million foreign visitors in the first 10 months of 2022. It is therefore not surprising that the news that China did not include Vietnam on their latest list led to disappointment in the tourism industry there.
Hopefully plans to resume travel between the two countries in March and forecasts for the number of Chinese visitors to the country this year will provide a much-needed boost for Vietnam and those within the tourism industry.
