Vietnam booms, but hotels remain a challenge
BANGKOK – The quickening pace of foreign direct investment will help to ease Vietnam’s chronic four and five star hotel shortage.
There are only 25 five star hotels and 74 four-star properties in a country where tourism is booming.
Foreign investors pumped US$1.7 billion into Vietnam last year, funding 47 projects.
Among recent developments, Movenpick Hotels and Resorts will manage two existing 5-star properties in partnership with the owning company, VinaCapital Hospitality Co Ltd.
The properties – Movenpick’s first in Vietnam – will open in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi by the end of the year after a complete refurbishment.
The 251-room Movenpick Hotel Saigon is in Ho Chi Minh’s Phu Nhuan district, close to Tan Son Nhat International Airport and the trade fair grounds.
Movenpick Hotel Hanoi is in the business district in the city centre, a 40-minute drive to Noi Bai International Airport.
“Once the renovations are completed, we will have two exceptional city hotels here,” said Movenpick Hotels and Resorts president and CEO, Jean Gabriel Peres.
The Vietnam National Adminstration of Tourism (VNAT) is meeting its 2005-2010 target of increasing international tourist visitor numbers by 10-20 percent per year.
The administration has a 2010 target of six million international tourists, up from a target of five million in 2008.
Vietnam’s tourism promotion will be boosted by advertsing on CNN and in Paris Match magazine.
“This is the first time the government has spent money on international tourism promotion,” said Pham Quang Hung, director of VNAT’s international cooperation department.,
Vietnam is also planning a series of events for Visit Mekong Delta Year 2008, including the Hue Festival (June 3-11), an international firework competition in Da Nang (March) and the Miss Universe contestsin Nha Trang in July/August.
Vietnam is also hosting next year’s ASEAN Tourism Forum, at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi from January 5-12.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt