This year’s Christmas season has shown that tourism in Europe has recovered, with European tourists starting to visit Asia again. According to French newspaper Le Figaro, travel outside France has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with destinations in Asia being the most popular. Despite rising costs, particularly in airfare, the French are still keen to travel to faraway locations.
Travel agents have reported a 33% increase in long-haul air tickets this Christmas. The number of French visitors to Thailand has reached 70% of pre-pandemic levels, while to Vietnam, it has recovered 50%. Vietnam is expected to be a popular destination for French tourists in the coming year, as 2024 marks 70 years since the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, a historical event that is still taught in French schools.
Ouest-France newspaper has an article about high school students preparing for a visit to Dien Bien Phu. A French high school has already bought tickets for a history teacher to take 29 students to Vietnam at the end of April to study history at the site where French soldiers surrendered to the Viet Minh. For many French people, Dien Bien Phu is a significant part of their history and is worth a visit.
Vietnam is also becoming a popular destination for sports enthusiasts. Last week, the German newspaper Rhein-Zeitung featured an article about a German couple who had just returned from Vietnam. The 55-year-old wife fondly recounted her run to see the city at night, starting at 1:30 a.m. in the old town near Hoan Kiem Lake, passing the Opera House, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, before crossing the 5.8 km bridge across the Red River, then crossing the Red River again, following the Long Bien railway bridge.
After several years of preferring domestic or nearby vacations, European tourists are now returning to South America and Asia. When European newspapers write about Asian travel, Vietnam is often mentioned. The French newspaper Maxi devoted two pages to Ha Long Bay, Vietnam’s most famous landscape.
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Source: Vietnam Insider