HCMC, Phu Quoc rank among Asia's best destinations

By Anh Minh March 17, 2024 | 05:00 am PT

Ho Chi Minh City is ranked 10th on a list of the best cities in the Asia-Pacific, while Phu Quoc is honored among the top 10 islands by readers of travel magazine DestinAsia.

The magazine based in Singapore announced the winners of its 17th Readers' Choice Awards on March 14. In the category of the top 10 cities in Asia-Pacific 2024, HCMC was the only representative from Vietnam mentioned, at 10th place.

A photo taken on the night of National Day September 2, 2022 at a section of the Saigon River through HCMC's District 1. Photo by Nguyen Dang Viet Cuong

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, achieved the top spot, followed by Tokyo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Seoul, Sydney, Australia, Shanghai, and Taiwan.

For the top 10 islands, Phu Quoc ranked 6th.

The island in Vietnam is famous among international tourists for its fine white beaches, clear waters, diverse forest-sea terrain, and entertainment areas like the seaside night market VuiFest Bazaar, and Cau Hon (Kiss Bridge).

The remaining nine islands on the list were Bali of Indonesia, Maldives, Phuket and Koh Samui of Thailand; Boracay and Palawan of the Philippines, Langkawi and Penang of Malaysia, and Lombok of Indonesia.

These annual awards honors hotels, resorts, tourism businesses, shipping companies, and airlines in the Asia-Pacific region. The list of destinations is voted on by travel experts and tourists.

The criteria for voting were based on location, experiences, friendliness, cuisine, transport, infrastructure, flight route convenience, and cost.

The top destinations are considered suggestions for those who are undecided on where to go on their next vacation.