Ambassador: Viet Nam, Australia hold ample tourism cooperation

Australian Ambassador to Viet Nam Andrew Goledzinowski expressed his satisfaction that the two-way tourist exchanges between Viet Nam and Australia have recovered strongly after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a recent interview, the Ambassador said, the achievement has been a deliberate effort on the part of the Australian and Vietnamese governments to promote two-way travel between the two nations.

"We have been delighted to see a doubling of flights between the two sides, from 42 flights per week to 84 over a two-year period to 2025", he shared.

Vietnamese airlines have launched direct flights to five different Australian cities, namely Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, which is actually the biggest number of any foreign country, noted the Ambassador.

The tourism research data has found Viet Nam as the fastest-growing passenger market of Australia. Some 150,000 Vietnamese visited Australia in 2023, while the number of Australian travelers to Viet Nam in 2023 reached 390,000 almost exactly the same as 2019 figure.

In the first five months of this year, Australian visitors to Viet Nam had an increase of 35 percent year-on-year, making Australia the seventh largest source of tourists to the Southeast Asian nation.

Andrew Goledzinowski said, Viet Nam has applied electronic visas (e-visas) for Australian visitors since 2017. Partly because of this, Australia is in the top 10 source markets for Viet Nam tourism industry.

In general, the e-visa is well-received by Australians. However, the Australia Embassy sometimes receive suggestions to improve the e-visa system interface; eliminate fake websites; clarify and ease the visa-on-arrival requirements and waive visa fees like neighboring countries such as Indonesia and Thailand to create a better impression for tourists.

Great potential in two-way visitation between Viet Nam, Australia

Regarding measures to attract more Australian travelers to Viet Nam, the diplomat said, the potential to grow two-way visitation between Viet Nam and Australia is clear, suggesting both governments take action to grow the visitor economy.

While government-to-government ties are strong, tourism has not historically been a focus of engagement. It's clear that there is an opportunity to elevate and sustain bilateral engagement through a range of mechanisms that will allow policy-makers to discuss shared challenges, share insights and develop their capability. Better policy-making will create the environment within which the tourism industry can thrive, he recommended.

According to the Ambassador, the lack of destination marketing and limited understanding of the broad range of tourism experiences in Viet Nam is hampering growth.

"Australia and Viet Nam should step up branding and marketing activities, ensuring there is relevant and readily available material for both industry professionals and consumers. New marketing techniques will be essential to reach digitally-savvy audiences. Even so, the role of a physical presence in the other market can't be ignored", he noted.

The Viet Nam National Tourism Authority and provincial governments have been very active in promoting Viet Nam as a destination in major cities of Australia; at the same time, they welcomed Australian business delegations to survey tourism products and services in Viet Nam.

"We will continue working very closely with our counterparts to support Viet Nam on its journey toward sustainable tourism and boost two-way visitations between Australia and Viet Nam", shared the Ambassador.

The Ambassador said, Viet Nam is a very attractive destination to Australian visitors, adding that Viet Nam's culture is interesting.

"The physical beauty of the country is really fascinating. Australians know about Vietnamese food already and they want to come and sample the Vietnamese food here because it's such a variety of cuisines. So it's very easy for us to promote Viet Nam but we want to do it in collaboration with the Vietnamese side", he emphasized.

The value of the Australian tourism market for Viet Nam is good and it will grow, told the diplomat.

Viet Nam, Australia enhance cooperation in tourism

With a view to promoting tourism cooperation between the two countries, in the period of 2017-2021, the Australian Government funded and implemented The Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture and Tourism (GREAT) project in Lao Cai and Son La.

The project, with a total budget of AUD33.7 million (equivalent to about VND600 billion), aims to promote gender equality and enhance economic empowerment for women.

Phase 2 of the project will be implemented in 2022-2027 with a focus on the tourism sector.

More recently, Australian Trade and Investment Agency (Austrade) and the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism coordinated to implement the project "Strengthen Australia-Viet Nam Tourism Cooperation" through funding from the Viet Nam-Australia Enhanced Economic Engagement Strategy (EEES). One of the main elements was The Australia-Viet Nam Travel.

Symposium 2024 which was held in June in Melbourne to highlight the tourism landscapes of the two countries and to promote cooperation in tourism.

"In early September, we are anticipating a delegation of key tourism stakeholders and tour operators from Australia to visit Viet Nam around the time of the Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo", told the diplomat.

The mission will provide an opportunity for Australian tourism industry to develop deeper understanding of the Viet Nam tourism market and build sustainable relationships with Vietnamese travel sales agents to promote outbound travel from Viet Nam to Australia and vice-versa, he stated.