US magazine named Vietnam among top Asian destinations for New Year celebration

U.S. travel magazine Travel off Path has named Vietnam in a list of the 10 most ideal Asian destinations to celebrate the upcoming New Year holiday.

Vietnam ranked second on the list after Thailand based on booking data for Christmas and New Year's Eve holiday on the Singaporean online travel platform 12Go.

The Philippines came third, followed by India and Cambodia. The rest of the top 10 were Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Laos, Malaysia and Japan.

“Vietnam is a great place to celebrate winter holidays. Each Vietnamese city has its own attractions, traditions, and lifestyles. Tet Festival is the official Vietnamese New Year. If you want to experience the local Vietnamese traditions, this busy time might be the best option to go there,” U.S. magazine wrote.

Danang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hanoi are the most popular places for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Danang and Hanoi are popular destinations for different types of travelers. Therefore, families also prefer to visit Sapa, and friends and solo travelers go to HCMC, it recommended.

Ho Chi Minh City is another excellent choice to visit during winter.

The Saigon Notre Dame Cathedral is beautifully decorated during Christmas and New Year's, attracting tens of thousands of locals and visitors on Christmas Eve.

Data from Dutch-based online travel agency Booking.com also showed Hoi An in central Vietnam, Da Lat in the Central Highlands and HCMC would be the most crowded travel destinations during the New Year holiday.

A series of tourist destinations across Vietnam will organize countdown parties and shoot fireworks performances on New Year’s Eve (December 31) to ring in the New Year.

For the upcoming New Year holiday, city authorities are seeking approval from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to set up fireworks performances at two locations: Thu Thiem Tunnel along the Saigon River in downtown area and Dam Sen Park in District 11.

Vietnam received 1.23 million foreign visitors in November, the highest monthly figure since it reopened its borders in March last year after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The number of foreign visitors to Vietnam so far this year has topped 11.2 million, far higher than the annual target of eight million, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism. South Korea has been the largest source of tourists (3.2 million) this year, followed by China (1.5 million).

The country is striving to receive 13 million foreign arrivals by the end of this month.