By Hoang Vu  January 18, 2023 | 10:01 pm PT
Phan Dinh Phung Street in Hanoi under a giant canopy, September 2022. Photo by Vu Ngoc Thien
Hanoi ranks 17th in a global list of 25 most popular holiday destinations for 2023 as voted by readers of U.S. travel site Tripadvisor.
Bali in Indonesia was second in the annual Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Awards list while Thai tourism attraction Phuket ranked 16th.
Dubai topped the list, London was third and Rome and Paris followed in that order.
The awards are based on the quality and quantity of ratings and reviews for accommodations, restaurants and things to do by travelers over a 12-month period between November 1 and October 31.
Hanoi plans to offer more night-time tourism activities and develop helicopter and hot air-balloon rides to achieve its target of attracting three million foreign tourists this year.
Last year Hanoi received 1.5 million, a quarter of the number in 2019, the year before the Covid outbreak of Covid-19.
“We saw a resurgence in travel demand in 2022, and the outlook for this year is bright,” Sarah Firshein, head of editorial at Tripadvisor, said.
“Long-haul trips have made a comeback, and we’re seeing a lot of Americans excited to plan trips to Asia and the Pacific region for the first time in several years.”
