Vietnamese flocked to scenic spots and beaches
last weekend, leaping at the chance to travel as the communist government eases
restrictions on domestic movement to revive a tourism sector devastated by the
coronavirus.
Hundreds waited to get on tourist boats to
visit the famed karsts of the UNESCO heritage site of Ha Long Bay with few following
social distancing norms.
Most removed face masks as they climbed on
board and posed for selfies.
“This is my first time to Ha Long after Covid.
I came here because there is so much beautiful scenery . . . and the Covid
pandemic is gone so I feel safe,” said Duong Quang Hieu, 21, from the
mountainous northern province of Tuyen Quang.
“I’m planning to travel to Danang and other
places too.”
Vietnam has won plaudits for its fast and
aggressive response to the spread of the coronavirus, which has so far kept
infections down to 318 with zero deaths despite its long, porous border with
China.
But the swift closure of the country came at a
cost. The tourism take plummeted to $340 million in the first four months of
this year, government statistics show, down 45 per cent year-on-year.
Doors remain closed to foreign travellers, but
authorities are turning to the domestic market of millions wearied by long
weeks of self-isolation and travel bans to get the tourist economy moving
again.
“It’s nice to travel at this time. We have a
wide range of hotels to choose from,” said tourist Phan Van Kien from Hanoi.
Kien said his family would travel domestically
for the rest of the year with many international flights cancelled and fears
still strong over the spread of the virus.
The French-established Dalat city has also been
packed with local holidaymakers since early May.
Last year, Vietnam received more than 18
million foreign travellers, the majority from Asia. Cambodians accounted for
227,910, up 12.3 per cent from 2018.