Vietnamese tourist hotpots in contention for 2021 World Travel Awards

By Nguyen Quy August 22, 2021 | 11:16 pm PT

The tomb of King Gia Long, the first ruler of Nguyen Dynasty, in Hue is seen from above. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Thanh

Hanoi, Da Nang, Hue and Hoi An, famed Vietnamese tourism havens, have been nominated in different categories at the 2021 World Travel Awards for Asia.

Hanoi will compete with 11 other regional cities for Asia's leading city break destination. The other nominees are Almaty, Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Kyoto, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo and Ulaanbaatar.

Hoi An ancient town, which used to be a busy international commercial port from the 16th to 19th centuries, and Hue, the seat of Vietnam's last ruling Nguyen Dynasty, are among six nominees for Asia's leading cultural city destination.

These two Vietnamese tourist towns will compete with Beijing, Kyoto, Delhi and Seoul for the title.

The central city of Da Nang, famous for its signature international fireworks festival, got a nomination for Asia's leading festival and event destination along with Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Macau, Seoul, Shanghai and Singapore.

Cuc Phuong, Vietnam's first national park located in the Tam Diep mountain range of Ninh Binh Province, is one of six nominees for the title of Asia's leading national park.

Vietnam also received nominations as Asia's leading destination in terms of heritage, nature and sustainable tourism.

The winners will be determined by votes from travelers around the world on the World Travel Awards website.

The awards ceremony for Asia will take place on Oct. 6 in Dubai.

World Travel Awards was first launched in 1993 to acknowledge excellence in the travel and tourism industry. The awards are handed out based on votes by the public and travel professionals across the globe.