Unreversible trend
Riddhi Thakkar (30 years old, India) admitted that in early January, she chose to visit Vietnam because this is a famous Southeast Asian destination with an affordable price. However, after 12 days of exploring, she said she had found more reasons to love the S-shaped strip of land.
I understand why people choose and are advised to come to Vietnam. The landscape, the experiences and the diversity of cultures surprise visitors, Riddhi Thakkar shared.
In every locality, Riddhi often prioritizes holidays at homestay, resort with a simple design, close to nature. The moment of dropping into the wooden bath, zooming in the scenery of the rice field outside through the glass window in Ninh Binh or sipping a cup of coffee on the top of Sa Pa mountain, covering her made her feel really comfortable, relaxed, different from the bustling atmosphere that the bustling city brought.
Like Riddhi Thakkar, many international visitors look to green tourism destinations, participate in trekking trips, motorbike tours, long walks... to explore the scenery and culture of Vietnam. Most are satisfied with the attractive experiences and increasingly complete services that these tourist attractions bring.
Not only international visitors, but Vietnamese tourists also increasingly tend to seek green, sustainable travel itineraries and pay attention to environmental factors.
As a travel enthusiast, most of the domestic or international destinations that Mr. Hoang Minh Duc (31 years old, Hanoi) chooses are oriented towards nature. The male tourist seeks small, little-known villages to discover the most original story and people of that land.
He has increased his appreciation of the values of nature, gradually realizing the meaning of green tourism - a sustainable direction that more and more tourism lovers are interested in and choosing.
Currently, many homestays, tourist areas, and farms have also developed green, environmentally friendly tourism, attracting tourists to experience and relax.
Minh Duc said: I have been to Doc Mo Farm (Gia Kiem, Dong Nai), where agricultural cultivation is naturally favorable, not using industrial fertilizers or pesticides, planting forests and raising livestock and poultry without industrial bran.
Here, depending on the needs of the customers, we can try to wake up early, follow the people in the farm to work in the fields, plant forests, raise animals... or experience cycling around the garden and neighboring forest areas. If you want, visitors can also participate in some quite interesting special seasonal activities such as: Catching fish, making banh tet, moon cakes, swimming in the lake or playing childhood games...".
Or at a homestay called come to the sea in Phu Yen, visitors will be instructed to follow a green lifestyle, limit the use of plastic bags, save electricity and be environmentally friendly. "The interesting thing is that every time you come to the local market, sellers will know where you come from through the baskets and food containers in hand and do not use plastic bags to package your goods," Minh Duc said.
Minh Duc added that if in the past, many people thought of green tourism with community motels lacking in materials and living conditions, now, most homestays and resorts are clean, have enough amenities, meet the needs of customers but are still close to local identity and environmentally friendly. This helps the trip become more complete, while also qualifying for welcoming international visitors to visit and experience.
Enterprises towards sustainable development
Sustainable tourism is no longer a short-term trend, but has become an inevitable requirement in the global tourism industry - and Vietnam is no exception to this trend. According to Agoda's 2025 survey on sustainable tourism, up to 77% of Vietnamese tourists prioritize sustainability when planning their travel - this figure is higher than the average in Asia (68%).
This shows that Vietnam is currently among the destinations with a top level of interest in sustainable tourism, behind only the Philippines (86%), India (82%), Taiwan (China) (80%) and Malaysia (80%).
Mr. Vu Ngoc Lam - Director of Agoda Vietnam - said that domestic tourists are increasingly focusing on sustainability, demonstrated through the trend of choosing environmentally friendly services and activities.
Another report from Booking.com also recorded that 96% of Vietnamese travelers believe that sustainability is important in travel decisions, and 94% are willing to take more environmentally friendly trips next year. However, many people feel overloaded by climate change messages - with 40% saying that environmental damage is irreversible.
Realizing the increasing popularity of sustainable tourism, Vietnamese tourism businesses are making strong changes.
Wishing to spread the message of green, sustainable tourism, towards harmonious experiences with nature, BestPrice has been building eco-tours, nature-oriented tours in Ha Long Bay - Hue - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City.
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel said that the company is joining hands with electric vehicle manufacturers to help tourists move more greenly, reduce emissions and affect the environment. This is a long-term direction to meet the trend of responsible and sustainable tourism, Mr. Tu affirmed.
Travel agencies also actively build green, sustainable products and commit to ESG, encouraging customers to participate in activities such as planting trees, environmental sanitation, and volunteering on tours.
