Top Vietnamese tourist attractions earn global spotlight in 2024
Travel – Foods - Ngày đăng : 17:21, 01/01/2025
Vietnamese tourist hotspots such as the capital city of Hanoi, the ancient city of Hoi An, and Son Doong Cave in Quang Binh province continued to garner praise from international media outlets this year, with some winning global recognition for the first time, including Ha Giang and Ha Nam.
In February, Hanoi was the sole Vietnamese representative to feature among the top 100 best cities in the world in 2024, as released by newswire World’s Best Cities, with the capital ranking 96th overall. One month later, Hanoi topped the list of the Best Food Destination 2024 as voted on by readers of the world's largest travel guidance platform TripAdvisor. In October, Hanoi managed to overcome major cities like Bangkok of Thailand, Seoul (the Republic of Korea), and Tokyo (Japan) to become Asia’s Best Culinary City Destination 2024. Photographed is Quang Phu Cau incense-making village in Ung Hoa district, 35km from downtown Hanoi.
According to the 2024 list of the world’s top 25 destinations from online travel platform TripAdvisor, Vietnamese world natural heritage site Ha Long Bay ranks second among the top 25 nature destinations and third in the 25 trending destinations worldwide.
The northern province of Ninh Binh featured in a list of the top 10 free-crowd wonders of the world, as compiled by media outlet the Daily Mail of the UK. With its towering run of jagged karst pinnacles, Ninh Binh is just as dramatic a sight as the better-known Ha Long Bay, according to the publication. Located just two hours south of Hanoi and bordered by rivers, farms, and temples, it’s best discovered by bike or by gliding downstream on a sampan, it writes.
Tam Dao, a small town in the northern mountainous province of Vinh Phuc, wins the World's Leading Town Destination at the 31st World Travel Awards (WTA). Nestled at an altitude of over 900 metres above sea level, Tam Dao boasts a cool and pleasant climate throughout the year. The town is dotted full of buildings which reflect French architecture and also offers unique cuisine which is popular among both local people and tourists alike. (Photo: internet)
Situated in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, Sa Pa township comes fifth in the “Trending Destinations” category of the renowned travel site TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best 2024. Sa Pa is both colourful and charming, providing the perfect oasis in the midst of a strenuous mountain trek or rice-paddy tour. The website suggests travelers not miss out on dining on Vietnamese or European-inspired cuisine downtown, as well as the Saturday night "love market".
Ha Giang is the northernmost province of the country, with the locality making its debut in the category of Asia's Leading Regional Cultural Destination 2024 at the 31st World Travel Awards (WTA). Ha Giang is home to more than 20 ethnic groups who have their own traditional culture, lifestyle, and customs. The area embraces many historical relics and majestic landscapes, including the Lung Cu National Flag Pole and picturesque terraced fields in Hoang Su Phi.
The northern province of Ha Nam is recognised for the first time as Asia's Leading Emerging Tourism Destination 2024 at the 31st World Travel Awards (WTA). Located about 65km from Hanoi, Ha Nam is home to many thousand-year-old pagodas with a peaceful beauty, attracting millions of pilgrims and visitors each year.
The Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Destinations awards of TripAdvisor, the world’s leading online travel platform, put the former imperial capital of Hue at eighth spot in the top 25 Cultural Destinations in the world for 2024. The former imperial capital of Hue serves as an ideal destination for relaxing and journeying back in time when exploring Vietnam.
The ancient city of Hoi An tops the list of the 10 best solo travel destinations, as compiled by website Smoky Mountains of the United States. Not only is the ancient city of Hoi An rated as the world's safest destination for solo travelers, but it is also recognised for its extremely affordable costs. In addition, Hoi An has also been praised by Australia's travel site Escape as one of the 13 best destinations for a September vacation.
This August, Quang Binh was recognised by the American magazine Travel+Leisure as one of the 13 most beautiful destinations in the world. Previously, Lonely Planet introduced Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Son Doong Cave, Tu Lan Cave, and Thien Duong Cave as must-see attractions in the central province of Quang Binh, dubbed the “kingdom of caves”.
In March, Son Doong Cave in Quang Binh province came in sixth among the 10 most beautiful caves in the world by British travel magazine Time Out. With 38.5 million cubic metres of space, the nine-kilometre-long cave is the world’s largest natural cave. In May, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) of Hong Kong (China) honours Son Doong cave as one of the seven most beautiful underground attractions in the world.
British magazine TimeOut has placed Ho Chi Minh City in fourth position among its list of the world’s leading 20 cities for food. Boasting a range of tastes such as sweet, spicy, fragrant, and fishy, Vietnamese cuisine never compromises on flavour, meaning that food lovers from all over the world can sample the very best of it when visiting the southern metropolis, the article writes.
Nha Trang is listed among the top five Asian destinations for diving, as compiled by digital travel platform Agoda. Nha Trang is gaining popularity as a diving destination thanks to its warm waters coupled with a colourful marine ecosystem which makes it an inviting spot in which to enjoy underwater exploration activities, Agoda reports. Divers can explore coral reefs which are teeming full of colourful fish and other marine creatures, it adds.
Phu Quoc, the nation’s largest island off the southern coast in Kien Giang Province, is named as the world's leading nature island destination at 31st World Travel Awards (WTA). This is the third consecutive year Phu Quoc has won this prestigious honour. In addition, Phu Quoc ranks second among the top 10 best islands in Asia, according to the globally renowned travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller in its 2024 Readers' Choice Awards.
