This is also a travel agency that has been recognized for bringing the most tourists to Vietnam in a year. Currently, this company has offices in many countries in Asia and has been selected by Vietnamese embassies in many countries to organize tourism fairs.
The decision to “leave Hoi An to return to… Hoi An”
• What did you see in Hoi An when you started your business that made you decide to go out into the world and bring visitors to the ancient town?
Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy : Hoi An has so many tourism resources, but I don't know how to attract visitors.
From the trips to international fairs, I found my way. I decided not to stop in Hoi An but to go out, the goal was to attract visitors to "exploit Hoi An's treasure". I always thought that sooner or later Hoi An would not be enough for me. I had to go out to find something new, something no one had done.
Later, when I did my master's thesis at Fulbright University, I was exposed to and deeply interested in the theory of "Blue Ocean Strategy". I understood that I had to swim to find the "blue ocean", where the environment was open, with less collision and competition, instead of trying to squeeze into the "red ocean" - which was already too crowded.
• In reality, travel is a fiercely competitive field and not exactly a “blue ocean”?
Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy : That's right! Competition is of course there, but we have to find a way to go. In 2004-2005, when I started my travel business, there were very few companies that chose the Southeast Asian market. If there were, they were not professional.
I think with my ability, if I focus on Southeast Asia, it will be very good. Because I am a small business, flexible and able to operate “guerrilla” in this market is a very effective way.
• That means when you started going abroad, you decided to "hit" the Southeast Asian market, not Hoi An's traditional customers, Europe and the United States?
Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy : I decided to choose Asia because this is a community that has cultural similarities with Vietnam, their English language ability is also "similar" to mine. Especially their way of working is the same as Vietnam, which is based mainly on reputation and does not need any contracts or legalities. If you build reputation with me, I will cooperate with you.
In my 15 years of operation, I have seen partner businesses that I have built, accompany and grow together. Especially during crises like COVID-19, they still stand side by side, ready to share difficulties. When the pandemic is over, they are still attached, ready to share profits.
• But if we have similar cultures, then Asian tourists are not unfamiliar with Vietnam. How to attract tourists to visit?
Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy : When I work as a tour operator, I am determined to do all of Vietnam, not just Hoi An. I try to introduce as many attractive places in the country as possible, with the aim of making it attractive for tourists to visit. Thereby promoting the beauty of Vietnam to friends around the world.
Furthermore, the tourism landscape has changed a lot since COVID-19. While Europe is closed and struggling to recover, Asia has adapted much faster. Asian people are very close to Vietnam, visa policies, and opening up air routes are very favorable.
There is no such thing as a bad customer, only an unattractive way of attracting them!
• In the current tourism industry's thinking, there is still a view that Asian tourists, especially Southeast Asian tourists, are a group of low-cost tourists, not the traditional type of tourists that are prioritized?
Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy : We should not make such distinctions. Because each country has a very diverse and rich market. There are good and bad. For example, we think that Lao and Myanmar tourists are poor, but in reality, the tourists are very rich. They even spend more than European tourists. Meanwhile, some European tourists often spend very little.
It is important to understand the fact that Asian tourists have different travel habits from European countries. Most Asian tourists, especially Southeast Asian tourists, like to go to grand and bustling places, not deserted and empty places.
Why? Because their country is full of emptiness and wilderness. When they travel, they try to find crowded and beautiful places. This is due to taste. Just like European tourists, in their country, they are already suffocated, tired, and overcharged to live in a crowded place, but when they come to Vietnam, they want to find a peaceful place to enjoy.
• Does that mean we can't judge whether a customer is a high-class or low-class customer by looking at the way they choose tourism products?
Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy : Yes, that view is not accurate. We should not defend the view that Asian customers are cheap customers and Western customers are luxury customers.
In fact, I see that when traveling, Asian tourists shop much more than European tourists, such as specialties, cakes, souvenirs... Many Asian tourists are also willing to pay a lot of money to stay in luxurious places at Bana Hill, or international standard resorts in Son Tra peninsula (Da Nang).
• Does that mean tourism has reversed the flow of visitors, while European visitors are declining, Asian visitors are taking the lead?
Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy : This is objectively shown through the data recently announced in Hoi An. Not after the COVID-19 pandemic, but since 2017, the number of Asian tourists has surpassed European tourists in the Central region.
Take the two words "Vietnam" to be confident when playing on the big stage
•How can Vietnamese businesses be confident when interacting in big playgrounds?
Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy : Whenever I go out to introduce to partners, I always think that I am in the mindset of a representative of Vietnamese tourism. No matter how big the event is, how big the partners are, I am Vietnamese, a country that is very prominent in cultural assets. Vietnam is not small or poor, on the contrary. Thinking like that will help me be more confident.
Once you have identified yourself as a national representative, you must show a different attitude, you must be a confident businessman. Especially, you must have a good grasp of potential destinations in Vietnam, tourism policies, destination policies... From there, you can confidently introduce them to your partners.
When you show poise and good grasp, people will also have an impression and perceive you as worthy.
•Where to start if you want to be confident like that?
Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy : First, businesses must build a network of partners to serve the market they exploit. Second, they must have a network of collaborators at the destinations. Third, they must always be present at forums, taking advantage of every opportunity to appear and present their understanding to the locality.
•Thank you!
Quang Nam is beautiful, but there is no "leading crane" in tourism.
“I, like everyone else, think that Quang Nam is a “rare commodity”. Not to compliment, but in reality, not many places are like that.
Heritage, culture, and people are known to everyone. But currently, in mountainous areas such as Tay Giang, Dong Giang, Nam Tra My, etc., visitors always want to come. The problem is that there are not enough comprehensive products. The policies to stimulate and attract tourism are not good, so demand cannot reach supply.
The general lesson shows that wherever tourism is successful, there are businesses with enough potential, enough effort and enough capacity in the tourism sector to invest and lead.
Cultural resources, majestic and wild nature are necessary raw materials, but businesses know how to guide and bring visitors back is very important. We often say that traffic and roads make visitors hesitate to go up.
In my opinion, that is not the reason. What about Sa Pa or Son Doong Cave in Quang Binh? In this regard, in my opinion, the policy of encouraging and inviting businesses is the decisive factor for the success of reviving the destination" - Mr. Nguyen Son Thuy shared.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/gap-nguoi-quang-ba-ve-dep-viet-nam-ra-the-gioi-3140750.html
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