Vietnam among summer travel destinations to stretch US dollar
Everybody knows that choosing where to vacation depends on a lot of things: what kind of vacation you`re after (city, country, beach or mountains), when to go, how long to go for, and, of course, how much money you have to spend.
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| Tran Quoc pagoda in Hanoi |
Vietnam has been named among summer travel destinations to stretch the US dollar, according to a list released by Koam News Now, a CBS-affiliated television station in Pittsburg, Kansas, the US.
In Hanoi, the country's culture-rich capital, for example, a stay at the top hotel in the city -- Sofitel Legend Metropole -- costs less than US$300 a night, but most accommodation options come in at well below that rate.
Add to that a thriving street food scene, a variety of day-trip possibilities and easy access to other parts of the country (fly to Quy Nhon from Hanoi on the southeast coast for less than US$100), and Vietnam is a frugal traveler's dream.
”Getting to this Southeast Asian country from the US will cost you some dollars, a quick search on Kayak shows round-trip flights from New York City to Hanoi in August hovering around US$1,200 but once on land, you'll find the prices quite kind”, Koam News Now told travelers.
Foreign tourist arrivals to Vietnam in the first half of 2019 are estimated at 8.5 million, up 7.5%, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO).
Of the total, the number of arrivals from Asian countries continued to make up the lion's share, 77.4%. Among them, arrivals from Taiwan – China have risen 27%, those from the Republic of Korea, 21.3%, and Japan, 12.8%.
The country expects to welcome some 18 million international visitors this year, compared to 15.5 million in 2018.
