Despite Vietnam being one of the strongest emerging economies in South East Asia, I was gobsmacked to discover that it’s also one of its cheapest holiday hotspots.
No-one embraces a budget getaway like Australians, so maybe that’s why we are heading to the Land of the Blue Dragon in record numbers.
Ho Chi Minh city is a heady blend of the old and new.Credit: Getty
According to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, more than 400,000 Aussies travelled to Vietnam in the year to August 2024 – 285 per cent higher than pre-pandemic figures. In the past 12 months, the number of West Aussies flocking there has almost doubled from 20,000 to 35,000. And Vietjet Airlines recently announced it was flying direct from Perth to Ho Chi Minh City eight times a week.
The 6½-hour flight on the budget carrier feels equivalent to driving in the outback of WA in a Datsun 120Y with milk crates as seats.
But on arrival, there is something delightfully delirious about walking in Ho Chi Minh City as the endless flow of motorists zip by like Bathurst 1000 drivers whipping down Conrod Straight on scooters even as you’re appreciating elaborate French colonial architecture.
It’s one of the most walkable cities........