Vietnam was honored as Asia’s Leading Destination and Asia's Leading Nature Destination for 2023 from the World Travel Awards (WTA), among the other awards for its localities and attractions, at a ceremony hosted in Ho Chi Minh City this week.

The 30th annual WTA Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony 2023 took place on Wednesday at Gem Center in downtown District 1 to offer titles to the award winners. 

Besides the two aforementioned awards at the national level, Vietnam’s southern economic hub Ho Chi Minh City also earned two awards of 'Asia’s Leading Business Travel Destination' and 'Asia’s Leading Festival and Event Destination.'

Ho Chi Minh City is a dynamic metropolis, attracting tourists thanks to its blend of past and modernity, where visitors can wander the alleys or busy markets, explore modern commercial centers located in skyscrapers, or visit famous historical sites, the WTA commented.

“Over the last few years, Saigon, as it was formerly called, has been reinventing itself at electrifying speed, on the back of Vietnam’s rapid economic growth,” the organization said on its website. 

The WTA also hailed the city’s great development potential as it has the potential to emerge as one of the venues for major international events.

The Tam Chuc National Tourist Area, in northern Ha Nam Province, was voted both as 'Asia's Leading Cultural Destination' and 'Vietnam’s Leading Cultural Destination,' while Cuc Phuong National Park – nestled among three provinces Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, and Thanh Hoa in the northern and north-central regions – was honored as 'Asia’s Leading National Park.'

Some Vietnamese provinces and cities also received awards, including Ha Nam as 'Vietnam’s Leading Cultural Destination' and 'Asia’s Leading Regional Cultural Destination.'

Moc Chau Town of northern Son La Province was named 'Vietnam’s Leading Natural Destination' and 'Asia’s Leading Natural Destination.'

Hanoi was esteemed in three categories: 'Asia’s Leading Resort Destination,' 'Asia's Leading City Destination,' and 'Asia’s Leading City Tourist Board,' while Phu Quoc City of southern Kien Giang Province gained the title of 'Asia’s Leading Luxury Island Destination.'

Along with Vietnamese award recipients, many tourism attractions and travel businesses of other countries, including Thailand, India and Australia, were also honored at the event.

The event took place one day before the 17th Ho Chi Minh City International Tourism Fair, which kicked off on Thursday morning.

This is the third time that Vietnam has been selected as the venue for the WTA awards ceremony, opening an opportunity for Vietnamese tourism to continue to enhance its international position as one of the world’s leading travel destinations.

The UK-based WTA was established in 1993 to annually acknowledge, reward, and celebrate excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism, and hospitality industries, which include various categories such as airlines, hotels, resorts, tour operators, and travel destinations.

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