'It's the little things that get to you': Readers on Vietnam tourism problems

"It's so funny reading that tourism is low because of visa. The truth is that Vietnam is a one-time visit place. The general conditions do not invite a tourist to come back. I have friends who every single year travel to Thailand from Europe. Never met one person that comes here on holidays more than once.

The visa is just an excuse, surely not the real reason. The average tourist doesn't spend more than 2 weeks in a place generally. See it and leave it."
edwardsfinest

"Why would genuine European tourists so love Vietnam that they must be issued with 90 days or 6 months visa? Are they so enamored with Vietnam attractions, culture and people that they must spend every day of their travel in every attraction, every village from the southern island of Phu Quoc to the northern mountains of Sa Pa. There are so much to offer in other SE Asians combined. Obviously, the length of visa isn't the critical issue. Countries with standard or shorter visas and even fewer attractions such as Malaysia and tiny Singapore are able to attract many visitors. Others would include safety, transport links, accommodations, tourism campaigns, nature of tourist attractions and many others. Vietnam is undoubtedly a nice place to visit, so are many other "cheap" SE Asian countries such as Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia and even Laos!"
Westwoodly

"Yesterday a group of foreigners were crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing, they forced the cars and motorbikes to stop by the sheer force of numbers. The disturbing part of this is that the cars were aggressively tooting these people as they quickly crossed the road.

My Vietnamese wife has a car license and I asked her if pedestrian crossings were discussed during the 3 months of training that she took. Yes, it was. Pedestrians have right of way, always, that is the law. So do car drivers not have a license or is it total disregard for pedestrians? Either way, for Vietnam to become a popular, repeat tourist destination, many things need to change at a basic cultural level."
Danny Saunders

"My friend wanted to watch some TV. Remote didn't work, so he went to the front desk. They asked him $1 for the batteries of the remote. I had lunch at a food market. Lady charged me an extra 50 cents. When I asked why, she said it was for the wet paper napkin that came with the sandwich. I went on a boat tour. Gave the lady who paddled the boat a tip. She wasn't happy with the amount and got aggressive. My friend haggled over a souvenir but didn't buy it. The lady vendor got enraged and smashed the souvenir on the ground and started screaming. Took Grab from the hotel to airport. Upon arrival the driver asked for more $ and he showed me a different Grab app in vietnamese with a higher amount. The list goes on and on. We were so happy to leave the country. It's the little things that get to you."
monsieur8

"Need to increase quality of service, environment, adopt clean behavior on the beach, in street, in fields, along the road. Need to put rules for that and fines. Eliminate plastics and rubbish in wrong areas. After, put a communication plan about these new rules in Vietnam. More tourists will come and good ones. Tourism is a global topics, not only tours and resorts."
Pierre Gaubert

"Vietnam has a good base it needs to build upon existing structures and services. Better communication in and out of Vietnam will make tourists feel welcome."
seeyouin2011

"I am a Canadian retired in Thailand. What's wrong with Vietnam tourism? 1- Visa - no problem, 2 -Evisa smooth easy fast, 3 - So many visa-free countries, 4- Easy access from foreign markets, i.e. direct flight from the U.S. * not available in Thailand, 6- Very completive quality to price ratio, 7 - Good food, good accommodations, good staff, 8 - Polite, friendly, immigration process upon arrival at the airport, 9 - Safe, clean public space, 10 - Efficient, cheap domestic transportation. So I am asking why is Vietnam falling behind other countries in attracting tourists? BTW I come to Vietnam 2-3 times a year, I would like to come more often. I will be arriving few days before the New Year."
jean.paul.leblond