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I
t’s been a quarter century since
Vietnam opened its doors to the
wider world as a tourist destination.
Then, and really for more than a
decade afterward, the media trum-
peted Vietnam’s emergence as one of
the world’s hottest travel destinations
with the irresistible headline, ‘Good
Morning, Vietnam,’ referencing the
popular Robin Williams movie of the
same name.
That headline still has currency
among some headline writers, but if
these johnny-come-latelys are just wak-
ing up to Vietnam as a hot destination,
you’d do better to ignore their advice
altogether. It may be morning in My-
anmar, and there may be a new dawn
rising for Cuba, but Vietnam’s days of
being the most recent and brightest
light on the world’s radar screen are
long over, however much we’d like to
believe otherwise. But we understand:
milking that headline for so long has
just been too good.
And what right do I have to say
this - that it’s no longer morning in
Vietnam? Well, at the Balcony Media
Group, we’re continually in touch with
the world’s leading travel media, es-
pecially here in the United States in
New York City. For us to attempt to
pitch Vietnam to the likes of Travel +
Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler as a
new destination, is to risk categoriza-
tion as an agency so out of touch with
the current state of world travel that
it would prove fatal to our reputation.
Don’t get me wrong. There are destina-
tions within Vietnam that are now com-
ing into their own as bright lights on
the horizon. Take Quang Binh and the
caves at Son Doong, for example. The
New York Times, in the middle of Janu-
ary, hailed this destination as one of its
top 52 Places to Go in 2014.
A destination for every
bucket list
Otherwise, Vietnam is firmly en-
trenched in the media’s imagination as
a worthy inclusion on anyone’s bucket
list. Some of the country’s hotels and
resorts have won renown among inter-
national travel publications and places
on top ten lists. If you’re reading from
awards conferred by Travel + Leisure
and Condé Nast Traveler (and really,
there is no more prestigious recognition
in the travel industry) the country’s top
hotel is the Sofitel Legend Metropole
Hanoi, and its top resort is The Nam Hai.
32
has broken
MORNING
SPECIAL
FEATURE
Vietnam may no longer
be a new destination, but
it still has plenty to capi-
talise on, writes
Jim Sul-
livan
, managing director,
Balcony Media Group
timeout