Vietnam was recently assessed as a peaceful and happy country by the UK-based New Economics Foundation. But it needs to learn how to build up the brand “happy country” to promote the country’s tourism industry.

An ethnic minority mother and her child.

Vietnam among happiest countries

Smiling Vietnamese

Many foreigners remark that Vietnamese people, both old and young, smile a lot, and most are optimistic though their lives are still difficult.

Late famous scholar Nguyen Van Vinh wrote: “An Nam people laugh at everything, both when they are praised or criticised”. But this is an advantage for the tourism industry because visitors always want to see friendly and hospitable local residents. Thailand has tried to advertise the slogan: “The country of smiles”.

Regrettably, many foreigners still think about Vietnam as a war-devastated and backward country. Vietnamese people in their imagination are shabby and sad people like depicted in Hollywood movies about the Vietnam War.

It is said that Hannibal Marco Polo, one of the biggest travel companies in North Europe, advertised tours to Vietnam as follows: “Vietnamese smile as much as Thai”.

Vietnam needs to build and advertise the image of a happy country, where the people are always joyful and optimistic.

“Happy country” and tourism

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), the number of visitors in the world from January-April 2009 fell 8 percent compared to the same period of 2008. This institution forecast that the total number of tourists in 2009 will be 4-6 percent less than last year.

However, UNWTO calculated that after the world economy recovers, the total figure of visitors in the world will reach 1.6 billion in 2020. Of the number, 1.2 billion people will travel in their region and 378 million will buy far-away tours. The number of visitors will rise by 4.1 percent annually and it will be 5 percent for East Asia-Pacific region.

Compared to Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam’s market share in the world tourism market is higher than only Cambodia and Laos. In 2007, it was 1.8 percent for Vietnam, 2.8% for Indonesia, 7.7% for Malaysia and 8.2% for Thailand, according to UNWTO Barometer 2008 report.

Vietnam needs to prepare for the post-crisis period. Its advantages include political stability, no terrorism threat or religious and ethnic conflicts and that it is still considered a “new” destination in the world.

The prestigious travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller chose two Asian countries, Sri Lanka (14^th) and Vietnam (18^th), as two of the 20 destinations for 2009. According to this magazine, though Vietnam is luring more tourists, it still has many interesting things to discover, especially good cooking and many beautiful beaches.

The countries that earn a lot from tourism like Spain, Greece, Croatia and Thailand are successful in getting visitors to return with good service quality. Tourism service quality in Vietnam is far below that of Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines. Moreover, Vietnam lacks a good slogan and logo for tourism. The slogan “The Hidden Charm” is too vague compared with Malaysia’s “Truly Asia”.

The local tourism industry always complains of limited budget for advertising. However, marketing campaigns on the BBC, CNN or National Geographic will be ineffective until Vietnam can help tourists avoid beggars, vendors, overcharging and supply them with better services. Visitors’ comments are the best or the worst means of advertisement for a travel destination.

After a tour to Laos in June 2009, famous Danish movie critic Ebbe Iversen gave the best words to praise the mild, simple people and the peaceful life in this country in the Berlingske Tidende Daily. He called Luang Prabang city “the peaceful world for the soul” and said “if anybody wants to become a good person, he/she should go to Laos”. Perhaps this is the best unpaid advertisement for Lao tourism.

VietNamNet/DNSGCT