According to some travel agencies, the number of Vietnamese tourists to China has increased unexpectedly. They are gradually shifting to the Xinjiang and Daocheng regions instead of the ancient town of Phoenix as before.
In the context of the weakening yen, the rare affordable travel to Japan is not attractive enough for Vietnamese tourists. In fact, this market has shown signs of saturation since the beginning of the year, according to Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, Marketing Director of Vietravel Tourism Company.
Instead, the outbound sector in Vietnam is turning its attention to another traditional market: China.
This is the second largest sending country of foreign visitors to Vietnam from 2023 to present, according to a report from the General Statistics Office. On the other hand, Vietnam is also one of the main markets in the mainland.
Accumulated data from the Vietravel sales department for the first 9 months of the year shows that the company has brought more than 45,000 Vietnamese tourists to China, including more than 11,000 in the fall.
Vietluxtour travel company also recorded a 25-30% increase in the number of Vietnamese visitors to the "world factory" in the first 3 quarters of the year in general (compared to the same period) and in the fall in particular.
In fact, Vietnamese people traveling to China is not new, but what surprises some travel agencies is that tourists are willing to pay a higher price, approximately the same as a tour to Europe, to buy a high-class, different experience in the neighboring country.
Vietnamese customers are willing to travel far, cautious about shoppingAfter 3 years of closure due to Covid-19, since the beginning of 2023, China has received great attention from Vietnamese tourists, including the tour route of Zhangjiajie - Phoenix Ancient Town, Tianmen Mountain, Tianzi Mountain... At that time, the price of the above route was around 10 million VND/person.
In 2024, the number of Vietnamese visitors to the town in Hunan province will reach 102,800, and in the first half of this year alone, the destination proved its attraction by welcoming 42,200 Vietnamese visitors.
However, our people are increasingly looking for something new in other countries. According to Ms. Khanh from Vietravel, there are currently 3 routes that are continuously "hot" with Vietnamese people:
- Beijing - Shanghai - Hangzhou - Suzhou : This is a classic tour route, always attracting tourists thanks to the combination of historical relics and modern landscapes, with famous places such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Bund...
- Zhangjiajie - Phoenix Ancient Town: Tourists love this tour because of the mysterious beauty of Phoenix Ancient Town and the majestic natural scenery in Zhangjiajie - a place known for its "fairyland" scenery.
- Lijiang - Shangri-La: Thanks to the romantic scenery of Lijiang and the mysterious beauty of Shangri-La, which is known as “little Tibet”, the destination has gradually become more popular. Travelers who love to explore local culture and peaceful landscapes love this journey.
Besides, some new routes to explore China with many unique experiences attract tourists equally:
- Jiuzhaigou - Chengdu: The tour takes guests to Jiuzhaigou Nature Reserve, famous for its emerald lakes and majestic waterfalls. Chengdu is known as the hometown of pandas, also a highlight with culinary experiences and the world's largest panda park.
- Xi'an - Luoyang - Dunhuang: This is a new tour route with a journey to explore the ancient Silk Road, passing through historical cities such as Xi'an (home to the tomb of Qin Shi Huang), Luoyang with Longmen Temple and Dunhuang with the famous Mogao Caves.
Not stopping there, Vietnamese tourists not only go to famous cities like Shanghai, Beijing or Zhangjiajie, but are also particularly interested in expensive and remote destinations like Xinjiang and Tibet with prices from 40 million VND/person or more depending on the schedule.
This is a surprising point, showing a change in travel trends, Vietnamese tourists like to experience nature and deep culture because they are willing to invest in different experiences.
However, although tourist destinations are expanding and Vietnamese people's footprints in China are increasing, spending on shopping services here is still not high.
Ms. Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing Communications Director of Vietluxtour, commented that the e-commerce trend contributes to changing the consumer behavior of tourists at shopping destinations in their itinerary.
"Nowadays, customers can easily search or buy goods across borders, so when traveling they only buy goods with not too high value," said Ms. Thu.
Currently, for China tours, shopping destinations are mostly large shopping centers and sales centers with well-organized business with product guides, sales pitches and promotions, similar to shopping destinations in Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc.
In addition, China also has a diverse and rich domestic product market, from handicrafts, silk, tea, pearls to electronics and high-end fashion brands. Many domestic Chinese products are of good quality and reasonable prices, meeting the shopping needs of Vietnamese tourists, especially typical products such as traditional medicine, tea, handicrafts and silk.
New attractionBesides the cultural similarities between Vietnam and China, the media effect has fanned the flames of Vietnamese tourism to China from 2023 to present, said Mr. Pham Anh Vu, Deputy General Director of Viet Tourism.
Meanwhile, Ms. Khanh from Vietravel believes that there are four other reasons why Vietnamese people are not bored with the mainland.
Firstly , the open-door policies and improved visa procedures, along with many direct flights from Vietnam, have created favorable conditions for tourists. The abundance of tickets to China from many different airlines has also expanded the choices, which is beneficial for customers.
Second , some new Chinese destinations have emerged as alternatives to Europe. For countries in the EU region, visa approval regulations are somewhat stricter, travel conditions and financial requirements are higher, so not all tourists set foot there.
Customers who do not meet the conditions to go to Europe often look for high-end/standard tours in nearby countries such as China, Japan or Korea (thanks to diverse landscapes and reasonable costs).
Third , the attraction of new destinations and high-end tourism products.
Finally , the diversity of international tourism products. Realizing the increasing demand from Vietnamese people, travel agencies are investing in building many international tour packages from short-term to long-term trips, meeting the different needs of tourists.
The abundance of promotional programs and tours designed specifically for Vietnamese customers in the Chinese, Korean and Japanese markets also gives tourists more choices.
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