Things Tourists Like and Don’t Like About Vietnam
Vietnam’s tourism industry continues to experience good growth and attracts millions of international tourists each year. With its efforts, Vietnam is gradually improving the quality of tourism services to ensure visitors’ satisfaction. In addition to its natural landscapes, such as beautiful beaches, mountains, forests, and cave systems, Vietnam offers famous culinary products like pho and banh mi. Furthermore, its diverse cultural heritage and long-standing ethnic history provide visitors with many reasons to come and experience the country.
There are many things that make international tourists enjoy their time in Vietnam, but there are also things they dislike about the country. Let’s explore this further.
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Things that make international tourists enjoy their time in Vietnam
1. Rich natural landscapes
With its extensive coastline, Vietnam boasts numerous beautiful beaches that are listed among the world’s top destinations. Nha Trang is a place where you can indulge in various water activities, while Da Nang is known for its romantic resorts suitable for couples and families. Mui Ne and Phu Quoc offer pristine beach scenes and delightful dining experiences.
Diverse natural ecosystems: From hills, mountains, and plains to valleys and caves, Vietnam offers breathtaking sceneries that leave tourists amazed. The country’s rich biodiversity, including forests, coral reefs, seagrass beds, wetlands, and diverse flora and fauna, significantly contribute to its tourism sector.
2. Cultural exploration and diverse festivals
Distinct Culture: It would be a missed opportunity to visit Vietnam without exploring the local culture and attending unique festivals such as the traditional Tet holiday, visiting the floating markets in the Mekong Delta, exploring historical sites like the Hoa Lo Prison, and the Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
Historical significance: With a history of more than 3,000 years of nation-building and preservation, Vietnam holds an important place in the world’s historical narrative. Many tourists come here specifically to delve into local history, visit remaining historical sites, and learn about the lives of Vietnamese people.
3. Culinary experiences
One of the most attractive aspects of visiting Vietnam is trying a variety of dishes at street-side eateries. Whether it’s pho, banh mi, or bun cha, all of Vietnam’s renowned dishes can be found here.
From the North to the South, savoring street food is a fantastic experience that allows visitors to enjoy diverse culinary offerings while gaining insights into Vietnam’s gastronomic culture. Additionally, Vietnamese baguettes are among the world’s best street foods. Throughout the day, tourists can witness the culinary culture right on the streets, thus getting a glimpse into the local way of life.
In addition, each region has its own specialties such as Hue beef noodle soup, Quang-style noodles, Hoi An’s Cao Lau, Hoi An chicken rice, Saigon-style Hu Tieu… If you have the opportunity to visit any province or city in Vietnam, don’t forget to experience the street food there.
Read more: The 9 Best Dishes To Eat in Vietnam
4. Affordable shopping for goods and services
Vietnam is a shopper’s paradise. In addition to scenic attractions, the country offers unique handicrafts that cannot be found elsewhere. Exploring local markets, tourists can easily find traditional clothes, scarves, jewelry, accessories, or anything they desire. In major cities, visitors can have their clothes custom-made within 24 hours.
It’s also easy to find convenience stores and small grocery shops scattered throughout the streets in Vietnam. Some of them operate 24/7, such as Circle K.
The prices of goods and services are usually displayed, but if not, it’s advisable to ask the seller before making a purchase. Overall, the cost of living in Vietnam is relatively cheap, and one can enjoy a delicious meal for as little as $5-20 per person.
What do tourists not like when they come to Vietnam?
1. Bad traffic
Traffic congestion in Vietnam is a frequent occurrence in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Traffic jams occur due to various reasons, primarily the excessive number of private vehicles, especially motorcycles. Vietnam is the second-largest consumer of motorcycles in the world, after Taiwan.
Furthermore, there is the issue of road encroachment for trading and parking, while public transportation is not well developed, and the road system cannot keep up with the population growth, resulting in overloaded roads.
2. Scams and overpricing
If you don’t visit reputable stores for shopping, you may end up paying higher prices than normal. For example, if you hail a taxi on the street, you might unfortunately encounter a dishonest driver who charges you significantly more.
There are also cases where you are invited to buy a product and then charged a higher price. It’s best to consult your tour guide about reputable places. Typically, booking a packaged tour instead of arranging services on your own can help avoid such risks.
3. Environmental pollution
In big cities like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, you will notice that people often wear masks while riding motorcycles because the roads are quite dusty, partly due to the high traffic volume and the poor environmental awareness of the residents.
Another type of pollution is noise pollution. Some foreigners jokingly comment that there is no quiet moment in Vietnam. The sound of machinery, construction sites, karaoke singing, blaring car horns, etc., although vibrant and lively, can sometimes cause discomfort not only to Vietnamese people but also to international tourists, especially those who come to Vietnam to enjoy a relaxing and comfortable trip.
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4. Weak tourism infrastructure
There are few airports, and they are often overcrowded. The road transportation connecting tourist destinations is not convenient, with a scarcity of highways and frequent traffic congestion, significantly affecting the travel experience of tourists.
Public restrooms are relatively few and not clean. Tourists often have to search diligently or go to commercial centers to find clean facilities.
At tourist spots, there are not many recreational services for tourists to experience. The main activities still revolve around sightseeing.
Conclusion
It cannot be denied that Vietnam is an attractive, safe, interesting, and reasonably priced destination. This is evidenced by the increasing number of tourists visiting Vietnam each year.
However, Vietnam also needs to improve the quality of tourism services and infrastructure to provide tourists with a better experience when they come to Vietnam, so that they not only visit once but also return for subsequent visits.
