South Korean, Taiwanese tourists to Vietnam express low satisfaction

In 2024 South Korea was Vietnam's largest source of visitors with 4.6 million arrivals while Taiwan was third with 1.3 million.

The Net Promoter Score, which measures satisfaction, willingness to continue using a service and likelihood of recommending it to others was just 15.3 for South Koreans and minus 12.8 for Taiwanese, market research and data analytics firm Outbox Company reported based on a survey of 4,000 tourists.

The regional average for Asia was 26.

Outbox expressed concern that dissatisfied Taiwan tourists are unlikely to share positive impressions of Vietnam.

Outbox CEO Dang Manh Phuoc said the issue does not stem from a lack of destination marketing.

Vietnam enjoys high visibility in both South Korea and Taiwan, as reflected in its Destination Marketing Index (DME), which measures the effectiveness of tourism promotion campaigns.

Survey data indicates that Vietnam's DME scores in the two markets are among its highest in the region, demonstrating that awareness and accessibility are not the primary factors reducing visitor satisfaction.

One of the key reasons for the low satisfaction scores is the gap between visitors' expectations and reality, according to Outbox.

South Korean and Taiwanese tourists often expect high-quality services, modern infrastructure and seamless convenience. While Vietnam's tourism sector continues to thrive, aspects such as hotel services, transportation and overall travel experiences have yet to fully meet these expectations, leading to lower satisfaction levels.

Language barriers further compound the issue, as most Korean and Taiwanese travelers prefer using their native languages, while English remains the dominant foreign language in Vietnam.

Limitations in tourism infrastructure such as airport efficiency and local transportation systems pose challenges for large groups of South Korean and Taiwanese travelers, contributing to inconvenience and negative feedback.

To improve tourist satisfaction, Outbox recommended improving training in the hospitality sector and offering greater multilingual support.

Upgrading tourism infrastructure, particularly transportation and signage in Korean and Mandarin, is essential to creating a more seamless experience, it said.

Vietnam's tourism offerings should also be adjusted to better align with South Korean and Taiwanese preferences, particularly in areas such as cuisine, shopping and entertainment, it said.

Vietnam should focus on delivering unique, memorable experiences that set it apart from regional competitors, it added.