Vietnam, one of three Asian countries in the list, was ranked 20th, while India was placed 13th and Indonesia, sixth. Scotland topped the list, followed by Canada and New Zealand. Other countries in the top 10 included Italy, South Africa, England, Iceland, the U.S. and Wales.

The charming landscape of Ninh Binh in northern Vietnam is captured from above.

More than 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War, the S-shaped country has rebounded with vigor, Rough Guides remarks.

Infrastructure upgrades, the launch of direct flights that connect Vietnam with major cities in the world and modern development with a bunch of luxury hotels and skyscrapers have made Vietnam more attractive to foreigners.

The U.K. travel site mentioned the "impressive" rock formations in Ha Long Bay, four hours drive to the west of capital city Hanoi, and terraced rice fields in the northern highlands town Sa Pa as "not-to-be-missed" beauty sites in Vietnam.

The Van Don International Airport, which opened on December 30, 2018, has made it easier for foreign tourists to visit Ha Long Bay, which was named among the world’s seven new natural wonders by Swiss organization New Open World in 2011.

Tourist boats sail on Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Foreign visitors to Vietnam rose 20 percent to a record 15.4 million last year, making it the world’s fourth fastest growing travel destination, according to a United Nations World Tourism Organization report.

The country raked in VND620 trillion ($26.7 billion) from tourism last year and the industry is aiming to make $35 billion per year by 2020, contributing 10 percent to the economy, compared to the current 7.5 percent.

Observers have remarked that Vietnam has not done very well in balancing tourism growth with preserving its natural beauty, and there is a lot of room for improvement in this aspect.

Vietnam International Travel Tourism Mart 2019 spotlights green trend

Green tourism will be the main theme of the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2019, which is scheduled for March 27 – 30 in Hanoi.

 

Vietnam’s first TV channel on culture and tourism launched

The Voice of Vietnam (VOV) organized a live television broadcast programme on January 9, the official launch broadcasting ceremony of Vietnam’s first multi-platform interactive TV channel on culture and tourism.

 

Northern Cao Bang province taps tourism potential

2018 was considered a successful year for Cao Bang’s tourism sector, as the northern mountainous province welcomed a record 1.2 million tourists, a year-on-year rise of 30 percent.

 

Well preparing for Tay Yen Tu Cultural Tourism Week

(BGO) – The Vice Chairman of the Bac Giang provincial People’s Committee Le Anh Duong and leaders of some departments, Son Dong People’s Committee on January 2 paid a field trip to inspect the execution progress of construction projects in Tay Yen Tu spiritual and ecological tourism site. 

 

Hai Duong kicks off tourism cultural festival to welcome New Year

Hai Duong province launched a tourism cultural festival on the evening of December 30 to welcome New Year 2019, including a street carnival with the participation of 2,000 artists.

 

Source: VnExpress