Ha Noi, HCM City among 10 most affordable Asian cities for visitors
VGP - Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City are among 10 most affordable Asian cities to visit right now, according to travel magazine Travel + Leisure.
Saigon Central Post Office in HCMC - Illustration photo
The magazine said that trips to Asia can seem expensive at first glance, with some flights double what you’d pay to get to Europe. But as with any travel destination, you can find a great deal — if you know where to look.
Flights to Asia are actually nine percent cheaper than they were this time last year. For bigger savings, Kayla Inserra DeLoache, Kayak’s consumer travel trends expert, recommends travelers “plan your trip during shoulder season this fall (October-November) and save up to 12 percent on flights compared to peak travel season (May-July).”
Viet Nam is one of the two countries to show up twice on this list, a fact that’s not surprising to people who are well versed in travel to Asian countries.
According to Ethan Crowley, a trip planner at Kayak’s Asia Desk, HCMC has an average total cost of US$1,452. The cost to book direct flights from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City starts at just US$660 for a round trip, according to their flight schedule.
Moreover, he noted that this is currently one of the only direct nonstop flights from Southeast Asia to North America.
Along with affordable flights, Crowley said that food and lodging is also affordable. He considers Viet Nam to likely be “the lowest-cost country for travelers” in all of Southeast Asia.
Foreign tourists gather in Ta Hien street in Ha Noi - Illustration photo
Meanwhile, Ha Noi charges an average total cost of US$1,546. In Viet Nam, visitors have great cheap food, great value hotels, and great transport.
Accommodation, from the low end up through luxury, is much cheaper than the surrounding countries.
Business-class domestic flights in Viet Nam are excellent value and also make the experience in the country's crowded airports much more enjoyable; even economy flights are far cheaper than similar routings in the U.S.
Rounding on the list of the top 10 destinations were Taipei City of Taiwan (China), Jakarta of Indonesia, New Delhi of India, Bangkok of Thailand, Manila of the Philippines, Tokyo of Japan, Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia, and Osaka of Japan.
Earlier, Ha Noi was named as the world's second most affordable travel destinations this year by British website Wethrift, in a survey by British website Wethrift.
Public transport in Ha Noi can cost as little as £0.23 (US$0.29), a meal costs around £1.71 and the average price of a drink is £0.83. A night’s stay for two people on weekends costs £32.42 while attraction tickets add up to £45.
Ha Noi currently has 61 direct flights./.
