VIETNAM AND CAMBODIA ARE HOT TOUR DESTINATIONS

01-12-2011 | Mike Smith

The strength of the Australian dollar combined with lower prices and a growing appetite for Australians to tour Vietnam has seen a surge of interest as well as bookings, a trend which has spread to neighbouring Cambodia, home to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat.

Helen Wong, founder and managing director of Helen Wong’s Tours, said the number of bookings had risen at a “very noticeable” pace in 2011 and predicted this rise would continue well into next year - and beyond.

“More and more Australians are opening up to the thought of touring Vietnam as more international quality hotels open,” she said.

“Travel in Vietnam has become more sophisticated. And Halong Bay, Saigon, the Mekong Delta, Hoi An and Hue are among a host of hot destinations now on a traveller’s wish list,” she said.

“Previously, Vietnam had been seen as a country for backpackers or war veterans seeking to return after the Asian conflict of the 1960s and 1970s.

“Now it is hot with those who want to see and experience the country in the comfort of a coach and by staying in international standard hotels.

“Cambodia, in particular Angkor Wat, is also on the wish list. It’s one of the world’s most valued manmade treasures.”

A further increase in bookings next year will be icing on the cake for Helen Wong’s Tours as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.