Vietnam needs easier entry, stronger air and land connectivity, better tourism services, and stricter environmental enforcement to bridge its competitiveness gap with Southeast Asian rivals, tourism insiders have said.
Qatar, which maintains a near-zero violent crime rate thanks to strict laws and severe penalties, has been named the world’s 2nd safest country for tourists after Singapore, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2026 Travel and Tourism Development Index.
Popular boy band Stray Kids has helped Korea take a big step toward turning global K-pop fans into actual visitors, with the group’s promotional videos for the country’s tourism authority now surpassing 10 million views.
A Ukrainian couple has been facing a huge backlash on social media after videos showing them riding a nesting sea turtle at a beach in Oman went viral.
Cross-border QR payment transactions by tourists from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia in Vietnam in the first eight months of 2026 has increased eightfold year on year, according to the National Payment Corporation of Vietnam (NAPAS).
After crossing mountains, waiting at borders, and meeting locals along the way, 16 Vietnamese adventurers made it from Hanoi to the French capital Paris by completing a 22,000-kilometer road trip.
Thailand’s Bangkok has surpassed Vietnam’s Hanoi, Indonesia’s Jakarta and South Korea’s Seoul to be voted “Asia’s leading city destination” at the 2026 World Travel Awards.