VIETNAM: South Korean Tourists Love Visiting Vietnam

South Korean arrivals are soaring and Vietnam’s increasingly lucrative tourism industry is changing to accommodate the influx. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are abuzz with Korean culture while beachside destinations like Da Nang, Hoi An and Phu Quoc are tailored for Korean tastes

Vietnam for a long time has been a backpackers’ paradise. Its vibrant street-food culture, a host of colourful heritage sites and breathtaking scenery offer plenty to adventure-seekers on a budget.

But this is beginning to change. Once-sleepy beach towns are transforming into five-star resorts. For better or worse, city streets once filled with hostels and homestays are being replaced with one-stop shopping centre/hotel complexes.

Vietnam’s tourism and hospitality industries have expanded rapidly in the past few years. Alongside on-trend international hotspots such as Iceland and Mongolia, Vietnam was in 2017 identified by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation as one of the world’s 10 fastest-growing travel destinations.

During the first half of 2018, Vietnam welcomed 8 million international visitors, an increase of 27.2 per cent from the previous year. Overall tourism revenue was an estimated 312 trillion dong (US$13.4 billion), 22.5 per cent more than in the first half of 2017.

The government has ambitious plans, aiming for 20 million international visitors per year by 2020. In turn, it aims to develop the tourism industry into a sector worth US$35 billion annually, one that would be 10 per cent of Vietnam’s GDP.

This growth has been driven partly by a spike in South Korean visitors, with knock-on effects in the tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors.

Last year, mainland China accounted for the most visitors to Vietnam, with 3.4 million arrivals. South Korea was not far behind, with 3.16 million, an increase of 46.5 per cent from the previous year, according to local media.

Flights from Vietnam to South Korea accounted for a remarkable 44.5 per cent of the country’s outbound traffic in 2018. By comparison, China-bound flights made up 14.8 per cent in the same year.

South Korean airlines Asiana and Jeju Air began offering daily flights between Busan and Da Nang, the Vietnamese coastal city, increasing the route’s capacity by 86 per cent.

As a result, Da Nang, known for its resorts and pristine beaches, became the top foreign destination for South Koreans last summer.

Many South Koreans fly the route to visit Hoi An, a resort town about 30km from Da Nang. According to Vietnamese reports, more than 240,000 South Koreans visited Hoi An last year, an increase of 70 per cent from 2016. They now outnumber the 200,000 mainland Chinese visitors arriving annually.

Vietjet prides itself on having served more than 2 million Koreans, many of whom were travelling overseas for the first time. In December, the budget carrier announced a new route linking Seoul and Phu Quoc island, another destination attracting South Koreans.

The north of Phu Quoc island caters to Koreans, with resorts built specifically for this market. Most Koreans never leave their resort, which is equipped with a medical centre and golf course.

From the 1960s until the late 1980s, South Koreans were not allowed to travel freely and passports were issued only for special reasons. After the nation’s democratisation in 1988, overseas travel was finally permitted and, as its middle class expanded over the next three decades, many South Koreans began to explore the world.

You will see more and more Korean brands and cafes every time you visit Vietnam. There are a lot of Korea-related businesses. Vietnamese people also love Korean culture.

As in many Asian countries swept up by the so-called K-wave, South Korean culture has begun to exert a broad influence on Vietnam’s urban environment.

Korean retail brands, cafes and eateries are popular, and cater to local populations as well as the growing influx of Korean visitors.

K-pop musicians sell out large arenas. Korean soap operas have been popular on local television for years. Korean movies are in theatres every week. Korean barbecue and noodle restaurants can be found all over the major cities and even appear in smaller cities.

Chinese visitors, on the other hand, have not been as warmly embraced. Vietnamese media reported two years ago that the coastal city of Da Nang would publish a booklet in Chinese on do’s and don’ts for tourists, after reports surfaced of mainland tourists and tour guides behaving badly.

Some of the mistrust and hostility towards the Chinese stemmed from historical conflict between the two countries that has flared up in recent times.

Four years ago, China moved an oil rig into Vietnam’s territorial waters and several Chinese-owned factories in Vietnam were burned down, with protests resulting in the death of at least 20 Chinese expats.

China restricted tourists coming to Vietnam, which really hurt the tourism industry. South Korea’s economic support for Vietnam has also contributed to the warm relations.

South Koreans are by far the largest foreign investors in Vietnam with over US$65 billion in registered capital in the country. Samsung has opened several enormous factories that manufacture phones and electronics.

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City both have Korea towns where a significant amount of South Korean expats live.

Many younger Korean travellers forego a Korean experience while in Vietnam. But older travellers often with larger budgets still expect access to Korean services.

Those in their 40s and above look for Korean food and services during their stay. People of older age don’t travel a lot and need tour guides.

It has become second nature for Vietnam’s hospitality industry to offer Korean-language options.

Companies provide Korean brochures and Korean language menus. Travel agencies describe their information in Korean, and their staff can speak Korean fluently.

Vietnam’s jet fuel demand will surge to a record this year as its tourism industry attracts a wave of new visitors and the country’s airlines are rapidly expanding.

The country is on track to have 38 million international passengers and 16 million visitors this year, according to data from CAPA Centre for Aviation. That is up from 18 million passengers and 8 million visitors in 2015, according to the data.

Aviation demand in Vietnam is booming, Fuel consumption in Vietnam will reach a record high this year and will keep rising for the years to come, said Tran Hoai Nam, vice-president of Vietjet, Vietnam’s biggest private airline.

He added Vietnam’s growth in foreign arrivals was the highest in Southeast Asia, rising 8.7 per cent annually.

The surge in traffic has translated into a rush of jet fuel demand in Vietnam. Through November, the country has imported 1.87 million tonnes of the fuel, according to customs data, equal to 14.8 million barrels, and up 18 per cent from the same period last year.

For 2018, jet fuel demand in Vietnam was estimated to be increased by about 20 to 25 per cent in comparison with 2017, mostly due to the increase in consumption of the international flights, said a Hanoi-based trader at one of country’s jet fuel suppliers, who asked to remain unidentified due to company policy.

Vietnam currently consumes about 18 million barrels of jet fuel per year, according to data from Petrolimex Aviation.

By 2035, Vietnam will have 150 million airline passengers per year, nearly four times what it was in 2015, according to a 20-year forecast from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Over the same period, India will have 442 million passengers, 3.6 times what it was in 2015, while China will have 1.3 billion passengers, 2.7 times what it was in 2015, IATA said.

In November, Vietnam issued an aviation licence to Bamboo Airways, which would be the country’s fifth airline after Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, Vietjet Aviation and Vietnam Air Services Co.

Bamboo signed a provisional deal to buy 20 of the wide-body 787-9 jets from US manufacturer Boeing and agreed a memorandum of understanding with Europe’s Airbus for up to 24 of the narrow-body A320neo jets in March.

VietJet, which currently operates 60 Airbus jets, has signed a US$6.5 billion agreement to buy 50 new jets.

Vietnam’s jet fuel imports will continue to surge as the country only has two refineries, Dung Quat in the central province of Quang Ngai and Nghi Son in Thanh Hoa province, near to the capital Hanoi, which only started operations last year.

Vietnam imports most its jet fuel from refineries in Singapore, Thailand and China, trade data showed.

Despite the steep growth outlook for Vietnam’s aviation sector, passenger growth might may be uneven as the country grapples with capacity constraints at its airports.

Vietnam’s biggest airport Tan Son Nhat, serving Ho Chi Minh City in the south, receives about 10 million more passengers per year than it is designed to serve.

The government is planning a second international airport at Long Thanh, 40km east of Ho Chi Minh City, that will serve 25 million passengers a year starting in 2025.


Tourism Observer

VIETNAM: Ha Long Bay Choking With Tourists And Waste

Ha Long Bay’s postcard-perfect karst islets have long attracted travellers to its Unesco-approved seascape. In 2017, the destination, in northern Vietnam’s Quang Ninh province, welcomed almost 7 million international and domestic visitors, according to website Halong Bay Tourism.

The region’s tourism department hopes to receive up to 16 million tourists by the end of next year, and to rake in VND30-40 trillion (US$1.3-1.7 billion) in revenue, it states, on its website.

Taking a major step towards achieving that goal, on December 30, Vietnam opened Van Don International Airport, which considerably cuts travel time to Ha Long Bay for overseas visitors.

What was once an eight-hour round trip from Hanoi is now just over an hour from an airport that, when fully operational, will connect the bay with 35 cities, including Hong Kong, Macau and 10 in mainland China.

The airport was unveiled alongside a new 60km highway, which reduces the drive time between Hanoi and Van Don to two hours and 30 minutes, and an international cruise port capable of simultaneously accommodating two liners with a combined carrying capacity of 8,460 passengers and crew.

If that isn’t a recipe for disastrous overtourism, Destinations Known doesn’t know what is.

As far back as August 2012, travel journalist Mary O’Brien wrote in Australian publication Traveller, the reality behind the picture-postcard views is worrying.

When I visited our boat was surrounded by container vessels, she continued. The beaches near docks and piers are often strewn with rubbish and travel sites have noted complaints from visitors about pollution.

In the years since, similar observations have been made countless times across social-media platforms and on web forums. Tourists complain of being shepherded to the same overcrowded sights – Surprise Cave seems to earn its name more for its hordes and gaudy illuminations than its rock formations – and about the amounts of debris in the sea.

Last summer, volunteers collected 741kg of waste from Coc Cheo and Ang Du beaches, in Ha Long Bay.

And it is not just the visible waste that is a concern. According to English-language online newspaper VietNamNet Bridge, in July last year as much as 80 per cent of local domestic waste water was being released, untreated, into the sea, which does not make an attractive bay.

In the same month, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) hired consultants to advise on tourism and waste management at the Unesco site.

Their findings, published on January 5, conclude that rapid increases in visitor numbers and pollution have damaged the reputation of Ha Long Bay, especially in the eyes of foreigners.

Unless the custodians of the destination clean up their act, and quickly, the engine of growth the country is counting on – tourism revenue – risks stalling. Unlike the planes, buses and cruise ships currently bearing down on Ha Long Bay.

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular travel destination in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. The name Hạ Long means descending dragon. Administratively, the bay belongs to Ha Long City, Cam Pha City, and is a part of Van Don District.

The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes. Ha Long Bay is a center of a larger zone which includes Bai Tu Long Bay to the northeast, and Cat Ba Island to the southwest. These larger zones share a similar geological, geographical, geomorphological, climate, and cultural characters.

Ha Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960–2,000 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 with a high density of 775 islets. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments.

The evolution of the karst in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate. The geo-diversity of the environment in the area has created biodiversity, including a tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea shore biosystem.

Ha Long Bay is home to 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic faunal species.

Historical research surveys have shown the presence of prehistoric human beings in this area tens of thousands years ago. The successive ancient cultures are the Soi Nhu culture around 18,000–7000 BC, the Cai Beo culture 7000–5000 BC and the Ha Long culture 5,000–3,500 years ago.

Ha Long Bay also marked important events in the history of Vietnam with many artifacts found in Bai Tho Mountain, Dau Go Cave, Bai Chay.


Tourism Observer

VIETNAM: Bamboo Airways To Commence Flights In October 2018

There will be more flight options for Vietnam’s domestic and international travellers when property developer FLC Group JSC launches Bamboo Airways in October.

Planning to operate 37 routes, the airline wants to cash in on the growing domestic middle class and rising international tourist numbers.

The launch is set to go ahead as long as the airline receives the government’s aviation license, which is forthcoming according to Bamboo Airways chairman Trinh Van Quyet.

While the aviation in Vietnam already seems well served, according to IATA the Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City route is the sixth busiest in the world, and in the next 20 years the country will be in the top five of the world’s fastest-growing air travel markets.

The first half of this year saw the aviation industry move 23.6 million passengers, according to Hanoi’s General Statistics Office, an impressive increase of 15% year on year.

With a good investment, well-prepared staff and new aircraft, we will become a giant right after we launch the airline, added the chairman.

Bamboo Airways, is a startup airline by a Vietnamese construction company, FLC Group. The airline will be established with a charter capital of US$30.8 million.

The airline is to be based at Quy Nhon’s Phu Cat Airport. Bamboo Airways will commence operations in late 2018 or early 2019.

Bamboo Airways will serve destinations where FLC Group has heavily invested in tourism infrastructure, as well as other secondary domestic routes.

The airline was founded in 2017 and submitted it request to the Vietnamese prime minister for approval.

The government's approval was confirmed on July 9, 2018.

The airline will have to complete some procedures to acquire a licence of operation issued by the Ministry of Transport of Vietnam after it has been approved by the Prime Minister and the submitted dossiers for licence of operation have been reviewed by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam.

The airline's application for a licence shall have an official verification of investment capital, a chart of the company’s internal system, a contract for selling or renting aircraft, the company’s operating and transportation guidelines, and a strategy for product development.

The dossiers for license of operation was reviewed qualified by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam on July 27, 2018, and will be submitted to the Ministry of Transport for issuance of the license of operation.

The airline plans to launch with a fleet of 30 aircraft for domestic services. They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus for 24 Airbus A321neos.

The airline will start operations with aircraft on lease from third party lessors before taking delivery of the aircraft from Airbus.

FLC Group chairman met leaders of Boeing on June 25-26 in Washington D.C. and they mutually finalized the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Boeing for 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, costed USD$ 5.6 billion, scheduled to deliver from April 2020.

Some experts doubt about the transactions concerning the financial capability of this startup, FLC actually purchased 44 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing in form of sale-and-leaseback.

The first flights will be launched on October 10, 2018 to the Vietnamese cities: Hanoi, Vinh, Dong Hoi, Nha Trang, Qui Nhon, Phu Quoc.


Tourism Observer

CHINA: Air China To Start Flying Beijing To Hanoi 1st June 2018

Air China will launch a new service between Beijing and Hanoi on 1 June 2018.

The non-stop route will enable passengers to travel from Beijing to Vietnam's charming capital city in just four hours.

The new route between Beijing and Hanoi will be operated under flight numbers CA741/742 four times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Outbound flights will depart from Beijing at 01:25 and arrive in Hanoi at 04:15 while inbound flights will depart from Hanoi at 05:45 and arrive in Beijing at 10:25.

Founded over 1,000 years ago, Hanoi has a long and complex history reflected in its eclectic range of architectural styles, including its French colonial buildings.

As well as the Neo-Gothic Hanoi Cathedral and the countless Chinese temples and pagodas that can be spotted throughout the city.

In 2017, bilateral trade between China and Vietnam surpassed USD 100 billion for the first time, while China remained Vietnam's largest trade partner for the 13th consecutive year.

According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, Chinese holidaymakers made over 4 million trips to Vietnam in 2017, an increase of 48.6% over the previous year.

Air China Limited is the flag carrier and one of the major airlines of the People's Republic of China, with its headquarters in Shunyi District, Beijing.

Air China's flight operations are based at Beijing Capital International Airport.

In 2015, the airline carried 90 million domestic and international passengers with an average load factor of 80%.

Air China was established and commenced operations on 1 July 1988.

This as a result of the Chinese government's decision in late 1987 to split the operating divisions of Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) into six separate airlines.

- Air China

- China Eastern

- China Southern

- China Northern

- China Southwest

- China Northwest

Air China was given chief responsibility for intercontinental flights and took over the CAAC's long haul aircraft Boeing 747s, 767s, and 707s and routes.

In January 2001, the former CAAC's ten airlines agreed on a merger plan, according to which Air China was to acquire China Southwest Airlines.

Before this acquisition, Air China was the country's fourth largest domestic airline. The merger created a group with assets of 56 billion Yuan (USD $8.63 billion), and a fleet of 118 aircraft.

In October 2002, Air China consolidated with the China National Aviation Holding and China Southwest Airlines.

On 15 December 2004, Air China was successfully listed on the Hong Kong and London Stock Exchanges.

In 2006, Air China signed an agreement to join the Star Alliance. It became a member of the alliance on 12 December 2007 alongside Shanghai Airlines.

In July 2009, Air China acquired $19.3 million of shares from its troubled subsidiary Air Macau, lifting its stake in the carrier from 51% to 80.9%.

One month later, Air China spent HK$6.3 billion (USD $813 million) to raise its stake in Cathay Pacific from 17.5% to 30%, expanding its presence in Hong Kong.

In April 2010, Air China completed the increase of shareholdings in Shenzhen Airlines and became the controlling shareholder of Shenzhen Airlines.

This allowing Air China to further enhance its position in Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai as well as achieve a more balanced domestic network.

On 2 December 2010, Air China received Spain's highest tourism industry award, the Plaque for Tourist Merit.

Air China was the first foreign airline to receive the award, which is given to organisations and individuals contributing to the Spanish tourism industry.

On 23 December 2010, Air China became the first Chinese airline to offer combined tickets that include domestic flights and shuttle bus services to nearby cities.

The first combined flight-shuttle bus ticket connected Tianjin via shuttle bus with domestic flights passing through Beijing.

Air China began offering free Wi-Fi internet service on board its aircraft on 15 November 2011, making it the first Chinese carrier to offer this service.

However reported by users, the service is not allowed on smartphones, only tablets and laptops.

In 2012, after pressure from PETA, Air China stated that it would no longer transport monkeys to laboratories. PETA welcomed the airline’s announcement.

On July 3, 2013 in time for the company's 25th anniversary, Air China successfully tested Wireless LAN in flight. It was the first global satellite Internet flight in Mainland China.

In early 2015 it was announced that the airline had selected the Boeing 737 Next Generation and 737 MAX for its fleet renewal programme of 60 aircraft.

The deal, with a value of over $6 billion at current list prices, has yet to be finalized.

The entity Air China Limited was registered in 2003, and its shares began trading in Hong Kong and London on December 15, 2004.

Originally the airline corporate entity was Air China International, which was founded 2002 Air China International incorporated China Southwest Airlines and the air transportation services of the China National Aviation Corporation, becoming a new entity.

The Air China HQ Building the corporate headquarters, is located in Zone A of the Tianzhu Airport Industrial Zone in Shunyi District, Beijing.

The company registered office is on the ninth floor of the Blue Sky Mansion, also in Zone A of the Tianzhu Airport Industrial Zone.

The enterprise logo of Air China consists of an artistic phoenix pattern, the name of the airline written in calligraphy by former national leader Deng Xiaoping, and "AIR CHINA" in English.

The phoenix logo is also the artistic transfiguration of the word "VIP". Air China is a member of Star Alliance.

Air China is primarily based in its hub of Beijing Capital International Airport (IATA:PEK), where it operates numerous long range aircraft on routes to North America, Europe, South America, Africa and Australia.

Its fleet is made up of an assortment of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, including: Boeing 737's, Boeing 777's, Boeing 747's, Boeing 787's along with Airbus A319's, Airbus A320's, Airbus A321's and Airbus A330's.

Air China also operates a second hub in Chengdu International Airport, where it primarily flies domestic routes.

Air China's route network extends throughout Asia to the Middle East, Western Europe, and North America from its hubs at Beijing Capital International Airport and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport.

It also currently reaches a significant number of Asian, Australian and European destinations from Shanghai. Some international routes operate from Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Hangzhou, Kunming and Xiamen.

It is one of the few world airlines that fly to all six inhabitable continents.

On 10 December 2006, Air China began serving its first South American destination, Sao Paulo-Guarulhos via Madrid-Barajas. This was the airline's longest direct flight.

The service was initiated with a Boeing 767-300ER, but due to increased demand, the service has been upgraded to an Airbus A330-200.

Regular flights between Mainland China (PRC) and Taiwan (ROC) started in July 2009.

Due to the political status of Taiwan, all Air China airframes that operate flights to and from Taiwan are required to cover the flag of the People's Republic of China on the fuselage.

This including a number of Airbus A320s, A330s, A340s, Boeing 777-200s, and Boeing 747-400BDSFs.

Air China introduced its new Airbus A330-300 to long-haul operations beginning with services to Düsseldorf, Germany in summer 2011.

These aircraft provided the same two-class cabin standard as the Airbus A330-200 except that the economy cabin had no seat-back entertainment system installed with the exception of the first two economy rows which also had increased legroom.

Dusseldorf is now the third German destination on the Air China network. The airline launched a new Beijing-Milan-Malpensa service on 15 June 2011, complementing the airline's existing service to Milan from Shanghai.

Deliveries of the carrier's 19 new Boeing 777-300ERs commenced in mid-2011, with the aircraft forming the new backbone of its future longhaul operations.

The new Boeing 777-300ERs replaced the Boeing 747–400s on routes to U.S. destinations such as Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, but was expected to first enter service on flights to Paris from March 2012.

The Boeing 777-300ER began to replace most 747 service once sufficient numbers entered the fleet.

Air China expanded its operations in India with a Beijing-Mumbai route begun in September 2011, while the existing Delhi route was upgraded to the A330.

The airline also launched service to Mumbai from Chengdu on 2 May 2012. The airline began using the Boeing 777-300ER on one of its two daily Beijing-Los Angeles flights on 1 February 2012.

Beginning in late-2012 to early 2013, the airline will replace the Boeing 747-400s currently servicing the New York and San Francisco routes with the Boeing 777-300ER.

With the addition of the Boeing 777-300ERs on the US routes, Air China increased frequency on the Beijing-New York route, changing the flights from 7 to 11 flights a week by adding two new flights to the route.

On 21 January 2014, the airline launched its service to Hawaii with flights from Beijing to Honolulu, the first nonstop flights between the two cities.

The airline also increased the frequency of service on the Beijing-Houston Intercontinental route from four times weekly to daily service from 30 March 2014.

Beginning 10 June 2014, Air China introduced new nonstop service from Beijing to Washington-Dulles, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER.

As of September 29 2015, Air China also introduced a 3 times weekly flight to Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport in a codeshare with Air Canada.

The Montreal flight was extended to Havana from 27 December 2015.

Air China started its direct flights to Johannesburg, South Africa from 29 October 2015. The flight operates three times weekly.

Air China fleet consists of a total of 402 aircraft.

Air China has placed orders for 170 aircrafts


Tourism Observer

VIETNAM: Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321 Accidentally Scratches Tail While Landing

The first officer had difficulty maintaining localizer and glideslope as well as maintaining speed, the captain provided instructions to correct, the corrections made by the first officer were insufficient however.

Vietnam Airlines Airbus A321, performing flight from Pleiku to Hanoi (Vietnam), was on final approach to Hanoi with a low time first officer flying the aircraft fully manually autopilot and autothrust off.

The speed decayed and the rate of descent increased, in the flare the first officer applied a large nose up input to arrest the descent, the aircraft nonetheless touched down very firmly with the tail contacting the runway surface.

The aircraft rolled out without further incident, the crew was unaware of the tail strike and taxied the aircraft to the gate, where ground personnel discovered the damage to the tail.

There were no injuries, the aircraft sustained substantial structural damage to sections 17 and 18.

The aircraft is still on the ground in Hanoi 63 hours after the occurrence.

About Vietnam Airlines

Vietnam Airlines is the flag carrier of Vietnam. Founded in 1956 under the name Vietnam Civil Aviation, the airline was established as a state-owned enterprise in April 1989.

Vietnam Airlines is headquartered in Long Bien District, Hanoi, with hubs at Noi Bai International Airport and Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

The airline flies to 64 destinations in 17 countries, excluding codeshared services.

From its begining until the early 1990s, Vietnam Airlines was a minor carrier within the aviation industry as it was hampered by a variety of factors including the socio-economic and political situation of the country.

With the government's normalization of relations with the United States, the airline was able to expand, improve its products and services, and modernize its ageing fleet.

In 1996, the Vietnamese government brought together 20 service companies to form Vietnam Airlines Corporation, with the airline itself as the centrepiece.

In 2010, the corporation was restructured into a limited liability company and renamed Vietnam Airlines Company Limited. A seven-seat management board, members of which are appointed by the Vietnamese Prime Minister, oversees the company.

As passenger transport constitutes its core activity, Vietnam Airlines plays a crucial role in the economic development of the country.

It owns 100% of Vietnam Air Service Company – a regional airline in southern Vietnam, 70% of the low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific Airlines, and 49% of the Cambodian national airline Cambodia Angkor Air.

In addition, the corporation earns revenue from airline catering and the maintenance and overhauling of aircraft through a number of its subsidiaries, including Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company and Vietnam Airlines Caterers.

The company has also diversified its investments in the aircraft-leasing and airport ground-servicing industries, and is looking to manufacture aircraft components. It controls and operates a cargo division, Vietnam Airlines Cargo.

Vietnam Airlines became a member of SkyTeam in June 2010, making it the first Southeast Asian carrier to have joined that alliance.

It is expected to be restructured and partially privatized to help it streamline its services and better compete with other airlines.

This would facilitate its long-term development plan that involves the improvement of its products and services, and the expansion of its fleet and flight network, as the airline aspires to become the second-largest full-service carrier in Southeast Asia by 2020.

Vietnam Airlines has its origins in January 1956,when it was established by the North Vietnamese government under the name Vietnam Civil Aviation following the nationalization of Gia Lam Airport.

It was instituted after the government signed the Decree No. 666/TTg. The airline was created as part of the air force for civilian purposes with support from both the Soviet Union and China.

Initially, its fleet consisted of two Lisunov Li-2s that were later replaced by two Ilyushin Il-14 and three Aero Ae-45s.This was due to an embargo that prohibited the airline from leasing and/or buying American technology or components.

The airline's development and expansion was seriously hampered by the Vietnam War (1954–1975). Following the war, its first international destination was Beijing, followed by Vientiane in 1976.

During that year, the airline was known as General Department of Civil Aviation in Vietnam, and began full operations. It carried around 21,000 passengers, one-third of whom were on international flights, and 3,000 tonnes (6,600,000 lb) of cargo.

In 1978, another important destination of Vietnam Airlines was added, with flights offered to Bangkok. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw the expansion of the network to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore.

In 1990, the company initiated discussions regarding the incorporation of Western-built aircraft into the fleet. Later that year, however, the carrier had to cancel the acquisition of two Airbus A310s due to their use of US-manufactured engines.

By July 1991, the airline struck a wet-lease agreement with Dutch lessor TransAvia. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-300, that arrived in Vietnam Airlines' livery.

However, the aircraft was returned after the U.S. State Department pressured the Dutch lessor to remove the aircraft from Vietnam.

Subsequently, Vietnam Airlines organized a similar but more complicated deal with TEA Basle, who spent the rest of 1991 negotiating a deal with US authorities.

Eventually, a solution stating that the Boeing 737 must be positioned outside Vietnam, with no logo or lettering of Vietnam Airlines.

On these conditions, it could operate on behalf of Vietnam Airlines was reached.

In December 1991, Cathay Pacific and Vietnam Airlines agreed on a 50–50 joint venture to operate between Hong Kong and Vietnam, as the airline's Tupolev Tu-134 fleet did not meet Kai Tak Airport's noise restrictions.

In October 1992, the Boeing 737 was supplemented with an Airbus A310. However, a dispute with Bulgarian Jes Air over who should pay for the repairs after the aircraft sustained an engine failure led to its replacement with another A310 from GATX, also operated by Jes Air.

A similar dispute with United Technologies encouraged the airline to switch from Airbus to Boeing.

Hence, a Boeing 767-200ER, leased from Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services (AWAS), arrived in January 1993, and a Royal Brunei Airlines Boeing 767-300ER, arrived the following year.

In October 1993, the first Airbus A320-200 was incorporated over a two-year wet-lease contract with Air France.

Vietnam Airlines by now had started discussions with Air France about a partnership, and the French carrier agreed to lease its Airbuses to Vietnam Airlines, and also to provide customer support and pilot/crew training.

By that time the route network had further expanded internationally, seeing the incorporation of destinations such as Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Sydney, and Melbourne.

In 1993, the airline carried 1.06 million passengers, 418,000 of whom were on international flights.

The airline became the flag carrier of Vietnam in 1993, after having completed a restructuring programme that was started four years earlier. In that year, the airline split from the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) and became a state enterprise.

The move was similar to the reorganization of the Civil Aviation Administration of China into several regional airlines in 1987.

Despite the fact that the airline gained some independence from the CAAV, it was still known as Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam within the 1993–1996 period.

In February 1994, US President Bill Clinton lifted the trade embargo to allow Vietnam Airlines the ability to acquire Western-built aircraft.

Consequently, Vietnam Airlines announced in April of the same year that it would be phasing out its inefficient Soviet planes.

By April 1995, the fleet consisted of nine Airbus A320s all of them leased from Air France, 11 Antonov An-24s, four ATR72s, two Boeing 707-300s, three Ilyushin Il-18s, nine Tupolev Tu-134s and three Yakovlev Yak-40s.

At this time the route network comprised 14 domestic destinations including Ban Me Thuot, Da Nang, Dien Bien Phu, Hue, Nha Trang, Phucoq and Pleiku and 16 international destinations including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

On 27 May 1995, the airline, along with a number of other aviation-related businesses, were incorporated to establish Vietnam Airlines Corporation.

Two Fokker 70s were purchased in mid-1995 for US$50 million; they were aimed at partly replacing the Tu-134 fleet on domestic routes as well as at serving as VIP transport.

In December 1995, discussions with GECAS for the lease of three additional, second-hand Boeing 767-300ERs were under way; these ex-Continental Airlines aircraft would act as a replacement for wet-leased Boeing 767 aircraft, three -300ERs and one -200ER leased from AWAS and Royal Brunei in the fleet.

In September 1996, Vietnam Airlines started offering business class services and in 1999, the airline launched its frequent-flyer program, Golden Lotus Plus.

During 1996, Vietnam Airlines looked for aircraft which would substitute the A320s wet-leased from Air France when the deal was over. Apart from acquiring further A320s, the airline considered Boeing 737s and McDonnell Douglas MD-90s.

In February 1996, GECAS delivered the first of three Boeing 767-300ER to the carrier, on dry-lease for five years.

In October the same year, two Boeing 767-300ERs and a Boeing 767-200, on lease from AWAS and Royal Brunei Airlines, respectively, were returned to the lessors, but in early 1997 another Boeing 767-300ER was phased in on a one-year lease from AWAS.

With its freedom to operate Western-built aircraft, Vietnam Airlines considered the acquisition of long-haul aircraft to better service Vietnamese living overseas.

The Airbus A340, Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 were topics of discussion. Meanwhile, two Fokker 70s were acquired in May and July to replace the twelve Tupolev Tu-134s.

On 3 September 1997, the crash of a Tupolev Tu-134B, on approach to Phnom Penh's Pochentong Airport in bad weather, resulted in more than 60 fatalities.

A new livery was introduced in early 1998, initially unveiled on a Boeing 767. In December 2001, Vietnam Airlines signed a historic agreement with Boeing for the acquisition of its first ever US-built aircraft, signalling the start of trade under the Bilateral Trade Agreement between the two countries.

The deal involved four Boeing 777-200ERs. The transaction was valued at US$680 million; the first aircraft was initially scheduled for delivery in 2003.

These four aircraft, along with six others of the same type that are leased from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), are the flagships of the airline, and serve on medium and long-haul routes, respectively.

During that year, the airline carried 3.4 million passengers, 1.9 million of whom were on domestic flights, flights to Beijing resumed and services to Kunming were launched.

During 2002, Vietnam Airlines considered a lease offer from Airbus for two Airbus A340-300s. On 4 September 2003, a landmark ceremony celebrated the airline's receipt of its first Boeing 777-200ER purchased outright from Boeing.

On 28 October, the airline decided to move its operations in Moscow from Sheremetyevo International Airport to Domodedovo International Airport.

In June 2005, Vietnam Airlines ordered four Boeing 787-8s.Twelve additional 787-8s were ordered in late 2007, some of them to be directly acquired from the company, and the rest to be purchased by the carrier's subsidiary Vietnam Aircraft Leasing Company (VALC).

These new aircraft were to allow Vietnam Airlines to expand its network and replace some leased aircraft. Regarding the delays from Boeing, CEO Pham Ngoc Minh remarked in September 2009, said we are not happy about the constant delays.

It affects our business plan. We expected to get our planes in 2009, then 2010, and now nobody can confirm to us which is the exact delivery date. I can be patient but it gives us a lot of headaches.

In 2010 the airline switched its Boeing 787 order from the –8 to the –9 model, stating that 787-8s did not meet all the requirements Boeing initially promised; it is expected the airline will receive its first aircraft of the type in 2015.

On 20 June 2005, the airline launched direct services to Frankfurt after having discontinued services to Berlin.

It came after the 2004–2005 period when travel between the two countries soared 70%. The following year, Vietnam Airlines was admitted into IATA.As part of the move, Vietnam Airlines had to meet the association's IOSA safety standards.

The Vietnamese government planned to partly privatize Vietnam Airlines. In the plan, the government considered selling 20–30% of the airline's stake to outsiders, with the government holding the balance.

This was a small part of a bigger proposal by the government to privatize its state-owned companies, due to be completed by 2010. Vietnam authorized the plan the following year.

However, the plan was not carried out as the airline missed its deadline scheduled by the government, which was arranged for 2010, due to the Global Financial Crisis.

On 1 October 2007, the airline and VALC signed a memorandum of understanding for the purchase of ten Airbus A350 XWBs, and 20 additional Airbus A321s.The Airbus A350s supplemented the Boeing 787s already ordered by the airline.

This single order would result in Vietnam Airlines becoming one of the largest Airbus operators in Asia. The two companies also ordered five extra ATR 72-500s in December 2007.

Vietnam was chosen as the host of Miss World's 60th contest in 2008. As the country's national airline, Vietnam Airlines was selected as the sponsoring airline for the beauty pageant.

Therefore, it was tasked the job of managing all the transport matters for the contest, to be carried out during September and October, just before the beginning of the competition.

However, it was later decided to carry out the event in Sanya, China, following speculations of Vietnam withdrawing. In August 2008, Vietnam Airlines added Nagoya, the airline's fourth point served in Japan besides Fukuoka, Osaka and Tokyo, to the route network.

In 2009, Vietnam Airlines and the Government of Cambodia established a joint-venture, having 49% and 51% stockholding, respectively,with the goal of boosting tourism in Cambodia.

The joint-venture was a new Cambodian national airline named Cambodia Angkor Air, which started flying in July the same year, using ATR-72 aircraft;an Airbus A321 joined the fleet in September.

In 2009, the carrier signed a deal for another 16 Airbus A321s plus two Airbus A350s, during the Paris Air Show.

In addition, Vietnam Airlines launched a new bilingual website in October to simplify bookings and adopted a new passenger service system designed by IT provider Sabre Airline Solutions.

On 26 August 2010, the airline teamed up with Boeing during the unveiling of its interior modernization programme to increase passenger comfort.

From late September to early October, Vietnam Airlines discounted up to 85% of its 90,000 fares to celebrate Thang Long-Hanoi's 1000th anniversary.

In November 2010, the airline awarded Honeywell a US$100 million contract to retrofit the Airbus A321s' aircraft flight systems, which is calculated to save Vietnam Airlines US$10,000 per aircraft per year.

In February 2012, Vietnam Airlines boosted its stake in the low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific Airlines to 70%, with Qantas holding the balance.

The Vietnamese flag carrier was the major shareholder in Vietnam's second largest airline, but its stake had been transferred to the Ministry of Finance, and subsequently to the Vietnamese State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC).

The carrier's takeover of SCIC's stake in Jetstar Pacific will capitalise the low-cost carrier with US$27 million, an amount that will be directed towards fleet renewal.

In late April 2012, the aircraft lessor ALC announced the placement of an order for eight Boeing 787-9s, which would be leased to Vietnam Airlines, deliveries were expected to start in 2017.

In late May 2012, the carrier signed an agreement with Vietnam's Exim Bank for a loan worth US$100 million, which the carrier will use to finance the acquisition of four Airbus A321s; a further US$100 million was loaned in April 2013 to finance the purchase of eight Boeing 787s.

In a deal valued at US$1.7 billion, Vietnam Airlines signed a contract with General Electric in October 2013 for 40 engines to power the Boeing 787 aircraft the airline had on order.

In July 2014, a new route to Tokyo-Haneda from Hanoi was introduced. Vietnam Airlines received its first Airbus A350-900 in late June 2015, becoming the second operator of the type worldwide after Qatar Airways.

In August 2015, the airline's first Boeing 787-9 entered the fleet.

As it is expected to be operating 170 aircraft in 2020, Vietnam Airlines is aiming to become the second-largest full-service carrier in Southeast Asia.

The airline is interested in launching services to the United States, where more than 1.2 million Vietnamese reside.

Such plans were confirmed in December 2003, but have since been postponed because Vietnam is not yet part of Federal Aviation Administration's International Aviation Safety Assessment Program.

Vietnam Airlines also considered opening new routes such as Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi, Vietnam–London; Ho Chi Minh City/Hanoi–Shanghai/Beijing, China; Ho Chi Minh City–Mumbai; Ho Chi Minh City–Brisbane; and Ho Chi Minh City–Doha.

While the airline had launched flights to London-Gatwick,Beijing and Shanghai, as of April 2018 there are no flights to Mumbai, Doha, and Brisbane.

The airline also plans to re-open flights to Berlin, and commence flights to Adelaide, Perth, Amsterdam, Milan, Prague, Mandalay, Dalian, Nanjing, Hangzhou and African cities; by 2020, Vietnam Airlines is expected to serve 53 international destinations, up from 27 in 2011.

By 2020, Vietnam Airlines plans to increase its annual revenue to US$7 billion – up from $1.86 billion in 2010 – by carrying 620,000 tonnes of cargo and 35 million passengers, using a fleet of 163 aircraft - later revised to 41 million passengers using 170 aircraft.

It aims to capture a 45% market share of Vietnam's aviation market. During its first 15 years of operation, from 1996 to 2010, Vietnam Airlines carried a total of 82 million passengers on 678,550 flights.

In addition, Vietnam Airlines plans to transfer most of its international operations from its current hub, Tan Son Nhat International Airport, to the proposed Long Thanh International Airport.

With a cost of approximately US$6 billion, the airport will, according to Vietnamese authorities, help Vietnam Airlines boost its operations internationally as it seeks to bypass Thailand as the dominant gateway to the Greater Mekong region.

London operations were transferred from Gatwick to Heathrow in 2015; the airline plans to operate its new Boeing 787-9 aircraft to this destination, starting from July 2015.

In January 2011, plans were announced by the airline to re-initiate an initial public offering (IPO) by the end of 2012; an earlier attempt was stalled by the 2007–2010 financial crisis.

Scheduled for mid-2014 after several delays, the IPO and subsequent share-offerings will supply the funds to expand Vietnam Airlines' fleet and network.

With the company valued at US$1.5 billion, the government plans to initially keep 75% of the shares. The IPO plan was submitted to the Vietnamese Ministry of Transport in June 2014.

Scheduled to commence on 14 November 2014, the IPO has already received two submissions from foreign companies, yet their names have not been disclosed.

The corporation will be restructured by 2015 to bring it in line with other state-owned enterprises and to shift its focus away from non-core businesses.

Following restructuring, the airline group will consist of Vietnam Airlines itself, as well as three carriers; in total, the corporation will comprise 26 independently audited companies.

Vietnam Airlines Company Limited is a limited liability company wholly owned by the government of Vietnam, having been restructured from Vietnam Airlines Corporation in June 2010.

Its role is to provide economic gains to the country, as its tasks, in addition to scheduled passenger and cargo transport.

This include responsibility towards labor, contribution to the state budget, and providing chartered flights, according to former CEO Dao Manh Nhung.

The airline is headed and overseen by a seven-seat management team, members of which are selected by the Prime Minister of Vietnam.As of July 2015, Pham Viet Thanh was the chairman of the company, whereas Pham Ngoc Minh was the President and CEO, as of March 2014.

As of March 2014, the airline branch of the corporation had 10,929 employees. The airline is headquartered in the Long Bien District of Hanoi; previously it was headquartered at Gia Lam Airport in Gia Lam, Hanoi.

In 2009, the airline, Airbus and ESMA Aviation Academy created Bay Viet Flight Training Company to train pilots in the country, with the expectation that up to 100 trainees would graduate annually.

In October 2010, the company planned to train 60 pilots in Vietnam during 2011–2012. In 2010, Vietnam Airlines needed 636 pilots, 60% of whom were Vietnamese.

It planned to raise that figure it to 75% by 2015, meaning there would be at least 100 new recruits each year from 2010 until 2015. Vietnam Airlines also contracts CAE Global Academy Phoenix in Arizona, United States, to train its cadets.

Vietnam Airlines has enjoyed an average of 37% increase in passengers flown per year until 1997, when the Asian Financial Crisis and other contributing causes led to a loss in profits for the airline.

Nevertheless, the airline remained profitable throughout the crisis. In 1996, the airline carried 2.5 million passengers, up 18% from 1995.

The airline carried more than 4 million passengers in 2002, which is an 18% increase over the previous year. Its cargo traffic also climbed 20% during the same period, resulting in a 2002 profit of US$35.77 million.

Despite the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak, the airline posted a US$26.2 million profit for 2003. In 2006, it carried 6.8 million passengers 3.7 million international and earned revenue of nearly US$1.37 billion in first 11 months.

Vietnam Airlines carried more than 9 million passengers, of which 4 million were international travellers in 2007, the year which saw the airline earning a gross profit of US$23 million from a revenue of US$1.23 billion.

It also transported 115,100 tonnes of cargo. In 2009, the airline's revenue was US$1.3 billion, compared to US$1.56 billion it earned the previous year.

During this period, Vietnam Airlines carried 9.3 million passengers. Vietnam Airlines' passenger capacity for 2010 rose 30% over the same period of the previous year.

This also coincided with the increase in capacity at Vietnamese airports, at 21%. In 2012, the company's total revenue totalled US$2.4 billion, with profits totalling US$3.3 million. The following year, the carrier posted a US$25 million gross profit.

Vietnam Airlines held about 40% of the market share of international passengers flying to and from Vietnam in February 2012.

At the time, Vietnam Airlines controlled 77% share of the domestic aviation market, with 14% covered by Jetstar Pacific. As of December 2012, Vietnam Airlines controlled just below 70% of the domestic market share.

Vietnam Airlines has at least 20 subsidiaries and affiliates. By the end of its restructuring in 2015, the company will have offloaded its stakes in more than 10 enterprises.

- Vietnam Air Service Company

- Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company

- Vietnam Airlines Caterers

- Noibai Catering Services

- Jetstar Pacific Airlines

- Cambodia Angkor Air

- Vietnam Air Leasing Company

Vietnam Airlines is increasingly becoming involved in the maintenance, overhauling, and production of aircraft.

Maintenance works are carried out by Vietnam Airlines Engineering Company (VAECO), that was established on 1 January 2009.

VAECO was organized mainly upon the amalgamation of the A75 and A76 aircraft maintenance bases. VAECO carries out maintenance and technical services for Vietnam Airlines as well as for other airlines.

The establishment of this company opens a new era to the aircraft maintenance field in Vietnam. As of 2013, VAECO was capable of performing a wide range of maintenance on many different aircraft types.

This includes C-checks for the Boeing 777, Airbus A330, Airbus A320 and Airbus A321; and D-checks, the most thorough of all maintenance procedures, which are carried out on the ATR 72 and Fokker 70.

In addition to its self maintenance facilities, Vietnam Airlines also has maintenance contracts with other airlines and maintenance organisations.

There are currently no production facilities in Vietnam for aircraft and spare parts. However, Boeing has managed to obtain 35% of the distribution market in Vietnam, and GE Aviation, in turn, supplies jet engines for the Boeing aircraft.

For the future, conversely, Vietnam Airlines is planning to build a maintenance factory in conjunction with Rolls Royce and other companies.

It has also signed a memorandum of understanding with EADS, a pan-European aerospace and defence corporation, that would let the corporation assemble and manufacture plane components in the future.

Vietnam Airlines has a network within East Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe and Oceania. With about 300 daily flights, the airline flies to 21 destinations domestically, and to 43 internationally.

In addition, it has codeshare agreements with a number of airlines for other routes, some of which span to North America.

Vietnam Airlines have traditionally increased flights among Vietnamese cities to cater for the heavy demands brought by the annual Tet celebration.

This busy period, which could fall anywhere from late January to mid-February, is Vietnam's most important celebration.

Hundreds of extra flights are scheduled by domestic airlines during this period to allow Vietnamese to return to their families, often in rural areas, to celebrate the occasion.

In 2010, the airline increased its seat capacity from 45% to 120% on certain domestic routes. In 2011, it increased additional flights on ten routes, adding more than 100,000 seats.

About 63,000 of these seats were between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This represented a remarkable 41% increase against normal days.

In 2013, the carrier added an extra 174,000 seats during the celebratory period, of which 82,000 seats were on the trunk route between its primary hubs.

Vietnam Airlines joined SkyTeam on 10 June 2010.

Vietnam Airlines had codeshare agreements with these airlines:

- Kenya Airways

- KLM

- Korean Air

- Lao Airlines

- Philippine Airlines

- Qantas

- Air Europa

- Air France

- Alitalia

- All Nippon Airways

- Cambodia Angkor Air

- Cathay Pacific

- China Airlines

- China Eastern Airlines

- China Southern Airlines

- Czech Airlines

- Delta Air Lines

- Etihad Airways

- Finnair

- Garuda Indonesia

- Jet Airways

- Jetstar Pacific


Vietnam Airlines Fleet:

Vietnam Airlines operates the following aircraft:

Airbus A321-200 - 57

Airbus A350-900 - 10

Boeing 787-9 - 11

New Orders:

Boeing 787-10 - 8

Airbus A350-900 - 16

Airbus A321neo - 18

On selected flights, Vietnam Airlines offers audio video on demand (AVOD) in-flight entertainment via personal televisions. Entertainment options consist of films, games, TV programmes and music.

Vietnam Airlines offers two in-flight magazines, Heritage and Heritage Fashion, in addition to other reading material.

Business class is the highest of three cabin classes offered by the airline. As is the case with business class cabins in most airlines, the amenities offered in this class are substantially different from economy class, and more services and products are available.

On Boeing 777s, business class seats have a 160 cm (62 in) of leg room, and are able to recline with a pitch of 157°, depending on aircraft.

Laid out in a 2–3–2 configuration, each seat is equipped with lumbar support and a 10.4 in (26 cm) personal touch screen, capable of delivering AVOD. Hot meals are offered on flights lasting longer than two hours.

Deluxe Economy class, Vietnam Airlines' equivalent of premium economy, has a wider seat width and legroom compared to Economy with 36–38 in (91–97 cm) of seat pitch and 7 inches of recline, and is laid out 3–3–3.

This class is offered only on flights operated by Boeing 777, Airbus 350-900 and Boeing 787-9. On flights over 90 minutes, snacks are served; on two-hour plus flights, as in business class, hot meals are served.

Economy class is available on all flights operated by Vietnam Airlines. Seats in this cabin feature seats ranging from 51 cm (20 in) (Airbus A330) to 53 cm (20.9 in) (Boeing 777) in width.

Seat pitch on this cabin class is 31–32 in (79–81 cm), while seat recline ranges from 6 to 13°(5-6 inches). Like Deluxe Economy, snacks are served on flights over 90 minutes, with hot meals available on flights that are two hours or more.

According to Aviation Safety Network, Vietnam Airlines experienced six accidents/incidents since 1951, with two of them leading to fatalities.

Both deadly accidents occurred on final approach, and both involved Soviet-built aircraft. The deadliest one took place on 3 September 1997, when a Tupolev Tu-134B-3 crashed after hitting trees on approach to Phnom Penh International Airport, the death toll rose to 65.

The other fatal accident occurred on 14 November 1992, when a Yakovlev Yak-40 crashed on approach to Nha Trang Airport, killing 30 of 31 occupants aboard.

The airline has also experienced a hijacking episode in 1992, without any recorded fatality.


Tourism Observer

VIETNAM: Lychee Gardens And Old Pagodas Of Hai Duong Province

New tour itineraries to Thanh Ha’s lychee gardens and ancient pagodas, which is only about 60 km from Hanoi, would soon be offered to tourists.

Khong Quoc Tuan, the director of tourism in Hai Duong Province once told us that “ Hai Duong has not much, but we have our hearts with which to welcome all of you”. But he was too modest.

The province on the northeastern outskirts of Hanoi has lots to offer those seeking a day trip from the capital or a weekend getaway.

Thanh Ha District, for example, is one of Vietnam’s most famous regions for growing lychee that ripen around May and early July. In fact, the fruit is considered to have originated from this area.

Several domestic travel companies are planning to offer new tour itineraries to Thanh Ha’s lychee gardens and ancient pagodas. At only about 60 km from Hanoi, the district is easily accessible by motorbike, too.

Ancestral lychees

A must-see on this jaunt is an “ancestral” 19th-century lychee tree, which broke the record last year to become the oldest of its species in Vietnam. The tree was planted in Thuy Lam town of Thanh Son commune by Hoang Van Com (born in 1848), who brought home three lychee seeds from a fest he attended in neighbouring Hai Phong Province hosted by Chinese people.

He planted the Chinese seeds in his garden. They all grew well, and one of them, which is now the oldest such tree in the country – produced delicious fruit. Com decided to clone the special tree, taking saplings and spreading them across the village.

Since then, Thanh Ha lychee has gained popularity and become a local staple. The district has more than 1,000 hectares of lychees conforming to the VietGap standard and has exported the fruit to the US, the EU and Japan.

“The ancestral lychee tree is the pride of our family and we do our best to preserve it,”said Hoang Van Luom, a sixth generation direct descendant of Hoang Van Com.

Take you time visiting the lychee gardens of local families, where the fruit can be bought directly after tasting them - and for far less than you would spend at the supermarket. This year, a kilo picked at the gardens goes for VND30,000 (US$1.3), compared to VND50,000 at the market. And more importantly, you know for sure where the fruits are from.

Old pagodas

After the gardens, it’s time to visit several old pagodas nearby.

Dong Ngo Pagoda in Tien Tien Commune is one of the oldest pagodas in Hai Duong Province, built during the Dinh Dynasty more than 1,000 years ago.

Its most significant feature is the nine-storey lotus tower (cuu pham lien hoa, in Vietnamese), a unique Buddhist artwork dating to 1692. Currently, there are only three such rotary wooden works in Vietnam, in three old pagodas.

This artwork originates from a ritual of praying and rotating an object - a pendulum or a bell or this lotus tower - at the same time. This ritual is believed to allow prayers and wishes to be delivered to heaven. The tower symbolises the spiritual levels that Buddhists have to practice from the first storey to the ninth.

On each storey of this 5m high lotus-shaped tower there are 18 wooden Buddhist statues sitting on lotus. Besides its artistic values, the tower conveys a message of compassion, altruism and charity and shows the development of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen Sect in Viet Nam during the 17th-18th centuries.

A quick visit to the pagoda also reveals newly-built architectural works in stone. You’ll see two round wells decorated with various stone blocs, as well as stone mortars in the yard of the pagoda. You can also cross a 3m-long stone bridge at a corner of the pagoda.

Stop and gaze in awe at the 30m-long map of Viet Nam made of 300 stone mortars. The Most Venerable Thich Thanh Thang travelled near and far to look for stone mortar and stone blocks to create those original architectural works.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit the ancient and romantic Bach Hao Pagoda in Thach Xa commune, overlooking the Cua Chua River. The 11th century Ly Dynasty edifice is known as one of the most poetic pagodas in the Red River Delta.

And if you happen to be there on the 6th day of the Lunar New year, drop by one of the pagoda festivals featuring such events as duck catching, rice cooking, and traditional farmer boat race.

Tourism Observer
www.tourismobserver.com

VIETNAM: Mountainous Homestay Tourism

When it comes to homestay tourism in Vietnam, one may think of the northwestern region. However, in the central province of Thanh Hoa, more attention has been paid to developing this service.

Don village in the mountainous district of Ba Thuoc in Thanh Hoa province has now become one of the emerging travel destinations with its homestay service for visitors who wish to explore the local life.

Besides a pure atmosphere, visitors can explore unique cultural characteristics of local ethnic people. The tourism service is rated ‘good’ by visitors. However, since it is a new type of tourism service in the locality, infrastructure serving the service remains limited.

Ba Thuoc district has recently mapped out a specific plan to develop homestay service in Don village and some other villages, considering tourism to be its spearhead sector in the coming time.

Along with investment in infrastructure, the protection of the rural landscape and the environment is regarded as key to developing homestay tourism in the locality.

A Space for Community Culture was launched at the central city’s East Sea Park yesterday, attracting the participation of 80 pavilions including souvenirs, food courts and folk games.

The city’s tourism department said the space will last through to the end of this month in order to serve booming tourism in Sơn Trà Peninsula.

As scheduled, the space will open from 9am till 10pm each day from May 19 to May 31st.

Tourists can sample traditional cuisine and purchase made-in-Đà Nẵng gifts including stone sculptures, organic cosmetics, bamboo crafts, and carved shells.

According to the department, a bartending competition will take place with the participation of competitors from Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Da Nang.

Live music performances will be on every night, while food courts will serve locals and tourists.

Mỹ Khê beach, one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, also boasts boat rides, as well as jet-ski and kayak rentals.

The Vietnam Tourism Association has proposed to continue visa exemptions for Western European tourists to boost tourism.

According to the Vietnam Tourism Association, in order to implement the government's resolution to turn tourism into Vietnam's key sector, visa exemptions should be continued for visitors from major tourist markets.

The association said they had received requests from tourism firms and local tourism associations to continue visa exemptions for tourists from France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belarus and the UK for five years.

They also suggested exempting visas for visitors from India, Australia, Canada, and countries in Eastern Europe including Poland, Czech, Bulgaria and Hungary, as well as former Soviet countries.

Vu The Binh, the association's vice chairman, said it was competitive as neighbouring countries all have open visa policies.

"Expanding visa exemptions is a common trend.

Thailand exempts visa for tourists from 61 countries, Malaysia exempts visa for 155 countries and in Singapore, it's 158. Meanwhile, we have only exempted visa for 22 countries," he said.

Tourism firms said since the visa exemption programme only lasted for one year, they didn't dare spend too much on promotion.

Normally, their short-term plans last from three to five years and over five years for long-term plans. The one-year visa exemption has only attracted independent tourists as firms await a more stable policy.

Tran Thi Viet Huong from Vietravel said most European tourists plan their vacations six months to a year in advance while the programme would end this June. This will affect their decision-making about holidays next year.

Le Tuan Anh, Deputy Director of the International Co-operation Department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said they had suggested extended the programme to five years and raise the standard length of stay for tourist visas from 15 to 30 days during meetings with other agencies.

"Resolution 8 on developing tourism states that pilot programmes can be carried out for urgent matters that don't have their own regulations yet. This suits the tourism sector which includes many other sectors. Thanks to it that the e-visa programme was piloted quickly in February," Anh said.

The number of visitors from Europe dramatically increased after the visa exemption was introduced. In the first quarter, the number of visitors from France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the UK reached 240,000, an increase of 12% compared to same period last year.

The growth rates from Spain were 23%, 13% from Italy, 13% from Germany, 11% from France and 9% from the UK.

Vu The Binh, the Vietnam Tourism Association's vice chairman, emphasised that the e-visa was different programme and they still needed to expand the visa exemption programme.

VIET NAM: China's Ban On Travel To South Korea,Chinese Tourists Flock Vietnam

According to Luong Quang So, head of the Mong Cai economic zone management board, on the days just before and after Tet (late January and early February), only 8,000-10,000 foreign travelers, including 2,500-3,500 Chinese, entered Vietnam through the Mong Cai border gate each day.

However, the figure increased sharply to 15,000 a day, including 5,000 from China in the last week, an increase of 50 percent over the same period last year.

Duong Van Co, chair of Mong Cai City, said that the increasing number of travelers has put pressure on customs clearance, but this has not had any impact on public order and tourism management.

The accommodations and tourism sites in Mong Cai are still capable of catering to travelers because most of the travelers go on domestic routes.

Thousands of Chinese travelers entered Vietnam through the Mong Cai international border gate two days after China's ban on travel to South Korea.

According to Co, as the number of tourists increases, the fees and charges collected from tourists at the border gate will increase. In 2016, the local authorities collected VND230 billion from this source.

On March 8, South Korean agencies said the Chinese administration met with representatives of tourism agencies and travel firms in Beijing and told the firms to stop providing tours to South Korea, commencing from March 15.

Seoul believes that the move is an unofficial sanction amid South Korea’s THAAD missile system deployment.

Beijing said it was disappointed about the South Korea’s decision, while it revealed to make comments about the retaliation plan.

Analysts said if Chinese travelers are prohibited from going to South Korea, they would flock to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam instead.

Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Da Nang City Tourism Department, said the department is keeping a close watch over the number of Chinese travelers.

The facilities in the city will still be able to serve Chinese travelers even if the number of tourists increases, Cuong said.

The sea city of Da Nang, with one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet, last year received 400,000 Chinese travelers. There are 25 air routes from China to Da Nang with 81 flights provided a week.

Nha Trang City of Khanh Hoa province is also popular with Chinese travelers. It received 1.1 million foreign travelers in 2016, including 525,000 Chinese travelers.

However, Nha Trang has been warned not to rely on the Chinese market. Tran Viet Trung, director of Khanh Hoa Tourism Department, admitted that the rapid development of the Chinese market has caused embarrassing problems in management.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is working with some localities that are popular destinations among Chinese tourists such as Quang Ninh, Danang and Khanh Hoa to cope with travel firms providing poor-quality tours to protect the interests of customers.

Vietnam’s tourism industry is taking a number of measures to increase service quality to welcome a greater number of Chinese visitors to the country, which is estimated to rise 50% to four million this year.

The agency also organizes many tourism promotion programs in China. Particularly, from May 11 to 20, the agency will cooperate with several travel firms to introduce Vietnam’s tourism in four Chinese cities, including Nanning, Fuzhou, Nanjing and Hefei.

The number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam has increased rapidly and is forecast to set a new record by the end of this year, with four million visitors, compared to 2.7 million in 2016.

The most popular Vietnamese destinations chosen by Chinese tourists include Hanoi, Halong, and Ninh Binh in the north; Danang, Hoi An, Hue and Nha Trang in the central region; and HCMC and Phu Quoc in the south.

Tour operators have also prepared themselves for the upsurge in Chinese arrivals.

Last year, the number of Chinese visitors increased by 50% and we expect strong growth this year. Therefore, we have to prepare hotel rooms in advance to ensure better service for the tourist season at the end of 2017, said Tu Quy Thanh, director of Lien Bang Travel Trading Company Limited,Lien Bang Travelink.

Similarly, Chinese tourists account for 60-70% of total international arrivals catered to by local tour operator Vietravel, and the company usually receives large orders for groups of tourists all year round.

VIETNAM: Pork Crisis, Agriculture Ministry Begging To Increase Exports To China

Pork likely will be hogging menus in Vietnam's factories and army canteens for some time to come, as the country tries to keep pig farmers stricken by a glut in supply from going under.

Millions of farmers are struggling after China began blocking imports from Vietnam in November. The crisis has highlighted the risks of depending on a single foreign market, especially such a big one: half of all pork the world eats is consumed in China.

Pork prices fell to as low as 50 cents a pound in early May, less than half the price a year earlier. So far, a surplus of 300,000 tons to 400,000 tons has accumulated, according to state media.

To help farmers weather the crisis, the military, police and trade unions are boosting pork portions in meals served in their canteens.

At a recent Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told officials to review planning of farm production and distribution to prevent future gluts in pork supplies.

The agriculture ministry, meanwhile, is lobbying to increase exports to China and other markets.

The rescue effort may have come too late for farmers like Do Huu Thuyen, who lost all his savings when pork prices recently crashed to record lows.

The price of pork has never been cheaper, said Thuyen after feeding his herd at his farm in Xuan Son, a village about 34 miles northwest of Hanoi.

Vietnam is the world's sixth-largest pork producer with about 3 million households raising pigs, mostly in small, backyard farms. Such small-scale farming usually earns them badly needed cash income, but it's relatively inefficient and difficult to regulate.

If farmers see a chance for profits they will do as they like, as they have done many times before despite cautions from the government, said Nguyen Anh Dung, another pig farmer.

China's crackdown on the border trade was a harsh blow: Vietnamese sold 600,000 tons of pork to Chinese buyers in 2016 through such channels.

It also came at an especially bad time, since many farmers had expanded their herds two years earlier when prices spiked. Pork output in 2016 was 3.9 million tons, triple the output of 15 years earlier, according to the agriculture ministry.

Thuyen, 42, says his farm was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars when he mortgaged his home to expand his herd to 170 breeding pigs and 400 pigs for slaughter.

He hasn't sold a single piglet in the past three months because with pork prices so low, nobody wants to raise them.

In six months he lost $88,000 or 10 years' worth of savings, he says.

I could go bankrupt, if the price stays the same, he said.

Vietnam's farm ministry is lobbying Beijing to resume imports, and Agriculture Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong hopes to meet with his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of a regional forum to be held in Vietnam in November, state-controlled media have reported.

Farmers complain that the winners in this pork crisis are traders who are paying rock bottom prices for pork in a buyers' market, while markets still charge relatively high prices.

Thuyen said he is losing $66 for every pig he sells, while traders make that much or more.

I am waiting for the bank to come to seize my house, he said. I may have to work as a construction worker to make ends meet.

At the end of September and according to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam had about 2.5 to 3.0 per cent more pigs on farm as compared to last year at this time (all livestock are up about 4 per cent), write Ron Lane, Business Director for Asia Pacific and Meggie Vo, Genesus Marketing Representative in Vietnam.

Currently in Vietnam, pork production is a relatively well developed market with stable demand and reasonable profits.
Large scale breeding farms and the pork value cold chain from the farmers through distributors to the consumers continue to grow with economic efficiency.

Recently, pork prices in the southern provinces were lowered as there was reduced pork consumption because of decrease in demand in the Northern area. Pork supply is increasing in Vietnam.

Market pig prices have slipped this past while. In the Southeast region, the market pig price decreased approximately 500 to 1,000VND/kg and decreased from 1,000 to 2,000VND/kg ($ 0.06 to $ 0.09/kg-$ 0.02 to $ 0.04/lb.) and in the Mekong Delta to the level corresponding to 45,000 VND/kg ($ 2.06/kg-$ 0.93/lb).

The price in the northern region ranged from 46,500 to 50,000 VND/kg ($ 2.13/kg-$ 0.96/lb.) and in the southern region, the range was lower at 44,000 to 46,000VND/kg($2.01/kg-$0.91/lb to $2.10/kg-$0.95/lb.)

The import value of commodity groups and animal feed ingredients for the month of September is estimated at $ 344 million, bringing the value of imports for the first 9 months of 2015 at $ 2.59 billion - up 3.9 per cent over the same period in 2014.
For this year, the major importers of the various commodity group/feed ingredients are Argentina (42.0 per cent market share); the USA (14.4 per cent ), Brazil (7.8 per cent ) and China (5.9 per cent ). The market value increased sharply compared to same period from last year.

The estimated corn import volume in September reached 408 thousand tonnes with a value of $ 84 million, bringing the volume of imported corn in the first 9 months of 2015 to 4.67 million tonnes with an import value reaching $ 1.04 billion-up 48.9 per cent in volume and up 28.4 per cent in value over the same period of 2014.

Brazil and Argentina are the two main suppliers accounting for 48.1 per cent and 46.6 per cent respectively, of the total import volume of commodities.

During the month of July, Vietnam imported 21 thousand tonnes of soybeans with a total value worth $ 10 million. During the first 9 months, Vietnam imported 1.195 million tonnes of soybeans (value of $547 million - an increase of 2.1 per cent in volume and an increase of 20.0 per cent in value compared to last year.

In the past marketing year (2013/14), the USA became the largest exporter of soybeans to Vietnam. The USDA Grain Report showed that close to 700,000 tonnes of soybeans came to Vietnam (an increase of 26 per cent over the previous year).

On another note and with soybean meal consumption, John Baize, President of John C. Baize & Associates, says that global soymeal consumption in 2014/15 was 198.6 million tonnes and that in 2015/16, the USDA projects use to reach 208.6 million tonnes.

He also states that five of the main importers (after China) in 2015/16 year will be from Southeast Asian countries- Indonesia is predicted to import 4.7 million tonnes, followed by Vietnam at 4.25 million tonnes, then Thailand at 3.05 million tonnes, the Philippines at 2.65 million tonnes and Malaysia at 1.5 million tonnes.

We were recently asked about the use of DDGs in Vietnam. During the crop year in 2014 the US exported around 12 million tonnes of DDGS. According to Justin Cauley, US-based CHS Export Commodity Manager, 39 per cent was exported to China, 6 per cent to South Korea, 6 per cent to Vietnam and 4 per cent to Japan. This year, China’s share is reaching 52 per cent .

In the last report, we mentioned how the Vietnam Institute for Economic and Policy Research mentioned that domestic livestock production is unsustainable, non-competitive and vulnerable and would be at a disadvantage when the new Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) (now signed) and the Asean Economic Community (AEC) are engaged.

Again, the large number of small-scale farms, the dependence on imported breeding stock, devastating diseases, technical limitations and poor slaughtering facilities, including basic hygiene will put Vietnam’s market pig producers behind and a continued surge in imports will continue.

In defense of Vietnam’s livestock and poultry industries, Dr Tong Xuan Chinh, Director of Livestock Production Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), predicts that the Country will grow to become very competitive.

As he mentions, already large-scale poultry companies in Vietnam, such as CP Vietnam, Japfa and Emivest operate very efficient “farm-to-table” systems for poultry and all are rapidly expanding to do the same in market pig and pork production. Furthermore, he states that currently, Japanese companies are looking to invest in Vietnam.

In another meeting, Dr Tong Xuan Chinh, comments on the larger movement of meat products among member countries of the new Asean Economic Cooperation (AEC) trading bloc.

“It will be important for member countries to develop standards on animal health, food quality and safety as well as technical standards for poultry(livestock) raising, such as AEC GAHP, AEC GMP, etc,”.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in September recorded a lower increase, 0.21 per cent compared to August. For the past 9 months, the CPI rose an average of 0.40 per cent . Vietnam’s GDP growth is about 6.2 per cent this year.

Aeroflot Almost Doubles Flights To London

Aeroflot almost double increase the frequency of flights from Moscow to London this winter.

The number of flights will increase from current 18 to 32 flights a week. This is due to the opening of the flights to the second most important airport of London - Gatwick. Also, "Aeroflot" opens a new daily flight to the British capital's main airport - Heathrow.

Previously, the British low-cost airline “EasyJet” performed flights from Gatwick to Moscow. But in late March, the carrier closed this destination due to falling demand.

In addition, the weekly frequency of flights in winter schedule will increase to Bangkok (from 7 to 14) Lyon (from 4 to 7), Guangzhou (from 5 to 7), Hanoi (from 5 to 7), Miami (from2 to 5).

According the "Winter-2016/2017" schedule, the flights to 50 countries, including seven of the CIS countries, are planned. Own flights will be performed to 131 destination, including 46 points in Russia, 14 - in CIS.

VIETNAM: Scams Tourists Must Be Ready For

Vietnam was the place where I encountered my first travel scam and it will always be etched in my memory. In fact, it has even inspired the creation of this site!

A place of breath-taking natural beauty, Vietnam is also home to a sizeable bunch of shrewd scammers. Almost everyone who has been here has met one!

Here is a list of 24 common scams in Vietnam, categorised by the sections “tourist activities”, “transport”, “accommodation”, and “misc”.

Those three wheel bicycles/trishaws you see lining the streets at tourist attractions? Avoid them at all costs. What they do is they will approach you and offer a ride where you can pay as much as you want, or not at all! Now, alarm bells would have begun ringing for anyone with half a brain.

However, what they do next is brilliant. They will take out a notebook and show you all the positive reviews in it. You will find extremely detailed reviews praising the driver and the trip in different languages and in different handwriting. As someone who knows a few languages, I was able to verify a number of them.

The cyclo operator is also an extremely glib speaker. He is able to build rapport (this is easy, for instance, enquiry about your country and sharing some knowledge of it) and address any of your fears (such as allowing you to stop halfway if you wish). Once you get onto the cyclo, the driver will then attempt to build trust with you bit by bit.

End of the day, once all trust has been built, he will bring you somewhere secluded, fish out a list of prices based on hours of service and demand payment. You pretty much have no choice but to pay.

However, it must be said that a cyclo experience can be an interesting one. To protect yourself, agree a clear price before hiring one and make sure that you stop at a place you know.

This is common around the world, but it is much more easily implemented here due to the large note denomination.

Overcharging can occur in many different forms, such as over conversion of currency, giving less change by rounding up/down, not giving any change by insisting on a tip, or even changing the fare once the service is completed!

Many places also quote in USD to make overcharging easier for them – either by rounding up to USD (which is higher than the value in Vietnamese Dong) or by demanding payment in Dong while using an unacceptable exchange rate.

Also beware when a vendor tells you 10, it could mean 10 USD, 10,000 Dong or even something else! Besides this, always ensure that the fee is for everyone in the group and not for each individual.

For popular tourist markets such as Ben Thanh market, prices are also marked up a few HUNDRED times, more if you are a Caucasian. Be ready to haggle or not buy!

Finally, be extremely careful with the cash in your wallet, keep them out of sight from the public and from the shopkeepers.

There are some vendors who sell books in boxes at cheap prices. But alas, those books are photocopies! You would not know as these “books” are wrapped up. Some of those are also of low quality – errors in pages, etc.

Then, there are other vendors who will invite you to take a photo with them. Once taken, they will demand a fee, a tip, or a purchase of their products. Ignore, and you will be hounded until you pay.

For instance, we have the fruit ladies of Hanoi. They will offer to lend you a fruit basket and to take a photo of you. It’s difficult to escape if you have taken the bait as they work in large groups. Something worse that might happen is that you get pickpocketed in the process.

Also, you might come across fake beggars. Some examples are fake cripples, hungry babies are actually asleep due to alcohol and people fake sickness and weakness. Do not donate or you will be hounded as well.

Moving on to Sapa, we have the textile women who tries to guilt trip you. They accompany you on trips, share their life stories, build trust and rapport and at the end of it all, ask that you buy handicrafts from them while crying.

Finally, avoid those pesky photographers who offer to take photos of you. Firstly, they will take multiple photos and demand a much higher payment. Secondly, they will not deliver the photos to you as promised.

Unscrupulous Tour Companies, there are many of such black sheep in the industry.

For instance, some of them claim to provide snorkelling, island trips etc which they do, but only allow for a meagre amount of time for them. There are also many grey areas they could capitalise on such as allowing for overbooking of trips.

As mentioned earlier, also ensure that the price paid is for everyone in the group!

For boat trips, it is also important to buy return tickets rather than one way ones, as you might be exploited when you find no other means of return.

Thus, it is recommended to check out online reviews of the tour companies before committing.

Restaurants that Do Not Display Prices,avoid them, but if you must try, do ask about the prices before ordering. If all you get are vague replies, that’s the sign to leave.

Be careful of those that list prices in USD as well – they might demand payment in Vietnamese Dong and use some unreasonably expensive exchange rate

Overcharging by Restaurants,those nuts or fruits they serve you before the start of the meal? Reject them, as they cost an exorbitant amount.

For those who tend to stay long at restaurants, try to keep whatever you’ve ordered at your table be it empty plates or bottles. This is to collect evidence and prevent restaurants from overcharging you by asking you to pay for something that you did not order.

Always inspect your goods after purchase, especially those that are wrapped, as they might be swapped. The same goes for your change or if you were to change money at a money changer.

Also, note that a very common scam in Vietnam is that vendors will claim that something is free. Once you have used it (service, food, etc), payment will be demanded and you will be hounded until you pay.

Besides street vendors who peddle fake ware, there are many shops which sell fake stuff as well, such as silk and even war relics! So do know what you’re buying and make sure to verify them before buying.

Place is closed,a popular scam in Asia (Thailand especially), someone or anyone might approach you and inform you that a place is closed.

They will then offer to bring you somewhere else where they can get commission. Never trust anyone who tells you that, especially one who can speak good English.

Karaoke/Prostitution,Illegal in Vietnam,is a simple scam, yet one that many inexperienced male tourists fall for.

At the karoke, a male tourist might be approached by a hooker. Money is given to book a room but the hooker disappears. Next, the bill comes and the tourist is charged an obscene amount! If you refuse to pay, you will simply be beaten up by the mafia there.

As shared by a reader in the comments section below, even hookers a scam in themselves – pretty girls are advertised on flyers, but when push comes to shove, they do not turn out to be as advertised.

Massage scam,as generously shared by another reader, massage places in Hanoi are a big scam. They advertise a low price for their services, but when the bill comes, you will find that you are charged for a ton of ancillary products, such as water!

Motorbike rentals can get pretty tricky in Vietnam (especially in Nha Trang and Mui Ne). There are the common scams (common as in common globally), where the owner follows you and “steal” your rented bike back and demand compensation. Another common one would be mechanical problems in the bike which the owner will demand compensation by you.

Also, there are many fake Honda motorbikes around. It would be good to know your bike or to research the specs on the web before booking.

In Vietnam, you also require a Vietnamese driving permit. If you are caught without one, the motorbike can be impounded for a month and you would have to continue paying for the bike.

Some motorbike “taxis” might approach you with an offer, which they claim is cheaper than normal taxis. Or they might say don’t worry about the fee, just go first and if you’re happy, you pay how much you want.

They might even say that there is no bus to the place that you want to go! That is pretty much BS. Some others use the “cyclos scam”, where they claim to bring you around for free but in actual fact, bring you to a secluded spot and demand huge sums of money.

Do note that these people have no training or certification. This means that not only is your wallet at risk, but your life is at risk as well.

Speaking of taxis, there are taxis with tampered meters – do watch out for that at first instead of simply relaxing in your seat. Taxi meters are based on distances, not time, so if you see one jumping wildly even when you are stationary, you know it is a scam!

There are also some who demand tips and some who claim to take shortcuts but are in fact longer routes (good to know the location). In fact, there are even fake Taxis in Vietnam!

To prevent yourself from falling prey to those, only take cabs from Mai Linh (green taxi), Vinasun (white taxi) or Taxi Group. Also, never agree to a fixed fee.

For those who arrange for taxi transport from the airports through your hotel, do be wary as well! There are operators who learn the details of these arranged pick ups and pose as the assigned driver from the hotel. They pick you up, call their accomplice and then claim that the hotel is full. They will then bring you to another hotel which they get commissions from.

The rough cost: 10,000 Dong to exit airport; 150,000 Dong to get to the main tourist area. If you realise that you are scammed, do not pay. Instead, take a photo of his ID and meter and threaten that you will report it to his taxi company.

Purchase of Train Tickets from Private Travel Agents,These touts will approach you and claim that the mode of transport you taking is delayed and offer to help you get a new ticket. They tend to buy for you a cheaper ticket than the one you requested.

As most people do not know Vietnamese, they are unlikely to spot the difference. It is also pretty much impossible to demand a refund as by the time you realise the scam, you would have been on the train already.

There are also some who might offer to carry your luggage as the distance to the platform is rather far. Just ignore.

Purchase of Train Tickets Online, Would you believe it.. There are even fake train websites in Vietnam! A good resource for train planning is Seat 61 (http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm).

If possible, only get your tickets from your hotel or reputable travel agents.

This is a very common transport option taken by backpackers wishing to travel from the North to South or vice versa. However, there are also many scams associated and it is important to only buy from reputable companies!

Besides booking a lower quality bus than you had paid for, some buses might even stop unexpectedly at night and force you to stay elsewhere. Lo and behold, there is only one hotel in the vicinity and the owner is more than ready to accept you.

Another version is that they stop at a petrol station and force you off. So coincidentally, someone at the petrol station will extort you to pay an amount to take a cab to somewhere to transfer to another bus.

Luggage Fee,sometimes, you might be asked to pay more because you have a larger or heavier bag by bus or train staff. It is pure nonsense, there is no such rule.

When any company in the travel industry becomes popular/famous in Vietnam, there will be new companies popping up with similar sounding names and many have been scammed in the process.

For instance, ODC Travel, Handspan, Kangaroo Café. The most notorious of the lot would be the dozens of Sinh Cafes around the country – the real one is now called the Sinh Tourist (http://www.thesinhtourist.vn/)!

Fake Hotel Scam,today’s online world, it is easy for unscrupulous hotels to create fake reviews. Some hotels also advertise low room fees online, but when you arrive, they will claim that the low fees were for the standard rooms which have been fully booked. To book the higher end rooms, you will have to pay a lot more.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, there are many copycats hotels which trade on popular names. Thus, to verify a hotel, check its location in addition to its name.

Hotel Fee Scam,some hotels also demand that you pay more (usually double) as the fee advertised was for one person and not for one room (usually double rooms). If your passport is held at the reception, your bargaining power is further reduced. To prevent this, always confirm your rates upon arrival.

Besides this, some hotels might advertise certain facilities online, such as a fireplace or air conditioning. However, to use them in your room, they will demand additional fees!

Pickpockets and Snatch Theft,as with places with crowds, pickpockets and snatch theft are common and one must always be alert and careful.

This is more common in Ho Chi Minh City, where the bag snatchers even have a name for themselves, which is the Saigon Cowboys. Watch out for child pickpockets as well!

Sometimes, pickpockets work with street touts. A street tout talks to and distracts you, while the pickpocket swipes your valuables. Be wary in such situations and check your bag if you feel someone brush against you.

Do note that other cities such as Hanoi and Nha Trang face situations too.

Hanoi Shoe Repair,This is a less common scam, though watch out if you are wearing worn out shoes!

For this scam, some guy approaches you out of nowhere and applies glue to your shoes. Next, he would take out a thread and tell you that your shoes are about to fall apart, which he can repair for $1.

If you didn’t realise, that glue is actually a solvent that dissolves stitches! Should you say yes, he would then proceed. However, the trouble does not end when the job is completed, as he will be demanding $10 or more!

Drugs in Hue, if you are offered drugs, do NOT take them. You will be reported to the police and the “reporters” will be rewarded for tipping the police off.

Invitation to a Card Game,this is a pretty common scam around the world, such as in Europe and have personally encountered this in Morocco.

Anyhow, the script is similar. Firstly, a friendly man approaches you, asks where you’re from and remarks that his sister/daughter will be going there either to work or study!

In this context, rapport is easily built as it feels that you have found someone close in a land of strangers. There will be also be this urge to share more about your home country, which the scammer will tap on. He will invite you over to his house where you could share helpful advice over a meal. But upon reaching the house, lo and behold, the man’s sister/daughter is not there!

Instead, you find the man’s brother/uncle who will get you to play some card game such as blackjack or Poker. You might also be taught some tricks so as to work together to cheat other visitors who will be coming soon. Regardless of the situation, you will lose. Here’s a fascinating recount of an experience with this scam.

Internet Cafes,keyboard loggers, viruses, spywares and what have you are common in Internet cafes. Do not do anything in there that can potentially expose your personal or financial data.

Paying Excessively More when Buying through Agents,as kindly shared by one of our readers, Frank, he paid 290k VND for a SIM card through an agent at the airport. It was supposed to provide 30 days unlimited 3G access, but died after 5 days. When he went down to the official store, that was when he realized that the plan he had purchased was a 90k VND plan.

Getting help, Emergency numbers:
Police: 113

Fire: 114

Ambulance: 115