'Vietnam is calling': From social media trend to tourism 'boost'

Chú thích ảnh — Foreign tourists enjoy checking in on the Golden Bridge, which is brightly decorated with national flags in the Sun World Ba Na Hills complex ( Da Nang ). Photo: VNA

From Europe to Asia, from famous vloggers (people who produce and share content in the form of videos) to young people who are passionate about traveling, everyone is "catching the trend" by booking tickets to Vietnam to experience it in real life. Each video has its own nuances but all convey the same inspirational message "Vietnam is calling and I'm ready to go!". This trend does not stop on digital platforms, but is creating an effect that promotes travel behavior to Vietnam from all over the world .

From inspiration to action

When searching for the keyword “Vietnam is calling” on the TikTok platform, a series of videos will appear recording the excited moments of international tourists on their journey to and exploring Vietnam. The common point in the short videos of a few dozen seconds is the image of tourists holding their passports, pulling suitcases to the airport or experiencing Vietnamese nature, cuisine, culture… with exciting, attractive, inviting music.

This trend is said to be inspired by the famous quote by naturalist John Muir: “The mountains are calling and I must go”. From there, young people turned inspiration into action by packing their bags and coming to Vietnam.

One of the typical examples of this trend is TikToker with the account name @parmersss uploading a video of himself “skipping” at the airport with his passport and plane ticket in hand, eagerly traveling to Vietnam. This video reached more than 2 million views after 10 days of posting (from June 9 to 19). After that, the account continued to add more videos recorded in Vietnam.

Following this “trend”, a series of other international TikTokers with accounts @GorillaiDeas, @amalia_maximova… also posted videos and clips sharing activities such as: Cycling in Hoi An, checking in Ha Giang, morning exercise on Da Nang beach… The fact that tourists and groups of tourists not only film videos at the airport, but also share their actual journeys at many famous tourist destinations in Vietnam shows that this trend has gone beyond the scope of “social networks” and become a real travel action.

Ms. Tran Mai Hanh - a travel media person on social platforms said that the special thing is that the trend "Vietnam is calling" requires participants to act for real. The video is not staged, does not use effects but records the actual journey from booking a flight ticket to experiencing Vietnam. It is the authenticity of the video that has made this trend spread strongly on TikTok because the content and images in the video are unique and distinctive.

Mr. Tran Viet Phuong (digital content creator) shared his pride in Vietnam when watching the “cute” clips posted by netizens from all over the world following the trend “Vietnam is calling” with images of people dancing and excited about coming to Vietnam for tourism. New images and expressions can create “unstoppable” opportunities for Vietnam tourism, while opening up new promotional directions for tourism service businesses, hotels, restaurants, etc. to learn from.

Appearing in June - the hottest summer travel season in Vietnam, "Vietnam is calling" has gone beyond a trend on TikTok, contributing to promoting the authenticity of Vietnam to the world. This trend has unexpectedly attracted young people from all over the world looking to visit Vietnam.

According to Mr. Dang Duy Trung Hieu, Vice President of Hanoi Tourism Association, in the age of technology, promoting tourism products on information channels of celebrities and content creators (Kol, KOC, travel bloggers) is becoming more and more popular and has a very fast spreading effect, attracting tourists, especially young people who decide to travel to verify and experience what they have seen.

According to a survey by travel information platform Klook, up to 62% of travelers in Asia-Pacific choose their itinerary based on recommendations from regular social media users, not necessarily celebrities. In fact, 79% of travelers book tours and hotels for experiences right after viewing and feeling interested in content on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook.

In Vietnam, more than 90% of young tourists choose destinations thanks to viral videos, beautiful photos or check-in scenes. This shows the significant impact of short videos on social networks on the selection trends and consumption behavior of modern tourists, while opening up a direction for promoting Vietnamese tourism based on attractive digital content, keeping up with market tastes to effectively exploit the spreading power of social networking platforms.

Travel according to "trend"

For “Vietnam is calling” to become a widespread trend on social networks, it is impossible not to mention the role of organized, methodical and creative communication campaigns. One of the outstanding milestones that contributed to creating a strong spread is the #HelloVietnam campaign, implemented by TikTok Vietnam in collaboration with the Vietnam Tourism Association since the end of 2023.

The #HelloVietnam campaign is designed as an effort to promote Vietnamese tourism to the world, through real-life experiences and digital content. Nearly 60 famous content creators from many different countries were invited to Vietnam for 7 days. Here, they had the opportunity to explore unique destinations stretching from North to South - from natural heritages such as Ha Long Bay (Quang Ninh), Son Doong Cave (Quang Binh), to vibrant tourist cities such as Da Nang, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City and rural areas with rich cultural identities.

Through the personal lens of content creators, vivid, emotional images of Vietnamese cuisine, people and landscapes quickly appeared on millions of global social media timelines. This campaign not only raised the image of Vietnam in the eyes of international friends, but also created a natural viral effect, creating momentum for “Vietnam is calling” to become a “trend” that spreads quickly on digital platforms.

Choosing Vietnam as a destination is because the answer lies in the perfect combination of diverse natural scenery, diverse culture and reasonable travel costs. Vietnam is loved and known as a "affordable" destination but still rich in identity. In the North, visitors can experience cloud hunting in Sa Pa, take a boat trip on Ba Be Lake, and explore ancient Hanoi.

Coming to the Central region, tourists enjoy immersing themselves in the blue and white sand beaches of Da Nang, Hoi An, Lang Co, Nha Trang... When coming to the South, tourists can immerse themselves in the vibrant life in Ho Chi Minh City or go to Con Dao, Phu Quoc to enjoy nature. At the same time, Vietnamese cuisine, from hot and crispy bread in the middle of the streets, cups of strong Vietnamese coffee, bowls of beef pho, local dishes... through images also create an attractive effect for international tourists to Vietnam.

Mr. Bui Quoc Liem (RMIT University Vietnam) affirmed: "Social media is a golden opportunity to tell the story of Vietnamese tourism to international friends - vivid, authentic and close. Developing a methodical, creative, data-driven and community-engaging social media strategy will help Vietnam not only attract tourists but also build a strong national brand image in the context of global competition".

With the unique storytelling of the trend “Vietnam is calling”, every experience in Vietnam can become a memorable part of the memory and can easily be turned into content with millions of views on TikTok. From short videos to real-life journeys, this trend reflects a more modern approach to Vietnam tourism and brings new emotions to international tourists, especially young people. This is expected to become an effective promotional channel, contributing to creating new attraction and strong stimulus for Vietnam tourism in the international market.

According to VNA

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/vietnam-is-calling-tu-trao-luu-mang-xa-hoi-den-cu-hich-cho-du-lich-a422973.html