Post-Covid19: Vietnam is considered as top destinations

Credit photo: Foreign tourists receive free surgical masks in HCM City. — Photo voh.com.vn

• New York-based travel magazine Travel + Leisure classifies Vietnam and the Philippines as the only two Southeast Asian representatives of 17 must-to-go destinations in the world after the Covid-19 crisis ends.

“My friends and I originally had plans to visit the Philippines and Vietnam in May, but those plans, like so many others this year, have since been thwarted. I’ve traveled all over East Asia and Southeast Asia, but these two countries I’ve yet to check off my bucket list — and from what I hear, I’ve saved two of the best for last. It’s incredibly unfortunate that Asians have experienced racism around the world just because the first outbreaks of the virus occurred in Asia. In the end, it’s a global pandemic that has affected us all. I can’t wait to get a chance to go back and spend some tourism dollars in this incredibly vibrant, culturally rich part of the world. The things I’m looking forward to the most, when this is all over? Lying side by side with my friends on a gorgeous tropical beach (perhaps within 6 feet of our neighbors on the sand!), and going to packed street food stalls and hole-in-the-wall restaurants, eating insanely good food elbow to elbow with strangers.” 

—Karen I. Chen, Editorial Producer

• Vietnam lifts social distancing restrictions on aircraft. Vietnamese carriers will be allowed to remove social distancing restrictions on aircraft and limitations on the number of passengers, reported by VnExpress.
• Reuters reports that the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) is proposing a partial lifting of the suspension on international flights starting June 1.
• SymlyFlinging noted that some Airlines are offering unlimited flight passes such as Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, AirAsia.
• 3 new Vietnamese Airlines (KiteAir, VinPearl Air, Viettravel Air) tracked by CH Aviation are about to launch.
• Vietnam is the favourite destination for intraregional foreign investors targeting Asean, followed by Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, according to The Financial Times
• The latest World Travel Awards has chosen Vietnam as “Asia’s Leading Culinary Destination” reaffirming the growing international reputation of Vietnamese cuisine.