Hoi An among world’s cheapest holiday destinations in 2024: The Times

U.K. newspaper The Times has listed the ancient town of Hoi An in central Vietnam among the 23 most affordable destinations this year with cheap cost of living and slow pace of life.

“Because everything else is so cheap, it’s possible to stay in top-notch hotels and still subsist on £100 (US$126) a day, including sunscreen, cocktails, coffees and a three-course dinners for two,” the newspaper said.

“Local draught beers are especially cheap, while renting a moped will cut taxi costs and help you get to the nearby beaches. Cua Dai’s stretch of white sand is only a couple of miles to the east.”

The average coffee price is £1.5 ($1.89), with evening meals at £5 ($6.31) and beer at £1 ($1.26).

In addition to Hoi An, the list also included Jerez de la Frontera in Spain, Tokyo in Japan, Lisbon in Portugal, Bali in Indonesia and Hong Kong.

As an ancient town that sits along Thu Bon river, Hoi An charms foreign tourists with its unique architectural ensemble that features iconic yellow houses and rich traditional heritage

Hoi An is home to Chinese-influenced temples and assembly halls with unique architecture. Colorful floating lanterns are also a distinct feature during a festival held on the 14th day of each lunar month, when all the electric lights in the town are switched off.

Hoi An welcomed 91,000 foreign visitors during the three-day New Year holiday that wrapped up on Monday, up 169% year-on-year.

Last year, Tripadvisor readers voted the Vietnamese ancient town among the world’s top 25 trending destinations with the greatest year-over-year growth in interest.

Vietnam’s tourism enjoyed a successful year in 2023 as the number of foreign arrivals reached 12.6 million, up 3.4 times year-on-year and surpassing the initial target of 8 million. South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan were the largest sources for inbound tourism.

This year Vietnam targets 18 million foreign tourists, equivalent to the pre-pandemic figure of 2019.

The tourism industry began 2024 with positive signs as a series of tourist hubs such as Hanoi, HCMC, Danang, Phu Quoc and Hoi An were flooded with foreign tourists during the New Year holiday last weekend.

On Monday, the first day of the new year, three luxury cruise ships from Europe carried over 5,000 international tourists to Ha Long and Da Nang, heralding a fruitful year for tourism.