Hanoi (VNA) ꧅– Over the past week, vibrant videos tagged ‘Vietnam is calling’ have gone viral on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, sparking a global travel craze. From Europe to Asia, vloggers and young travellers are joining the trend by booking trips to Vietnam, all sharing the same message - ‘Vietnam is calling and I’m ready to go’ - and fuelling a surge in international interest.

A quick search for “Vietnam is calling” on TikTok reveals a myriad of clips capturing the excitement of visitors setting off for Vietnam, with short videos showing tourists holding their passports, wheeling their suitcases through airports or exploring Vietnam’s scenic landscapes, diverse cuisine and unique culture - all set to upbeat, catchy soundtracks. One standout example is TikToker @parmersss, who uploaded a clip of himself skipping joyfully through an airport with passport and plane ticket in hand, eagerly anticipating his trip to Vietnam. The video garnered more than 2 million views between June 9 - 19. Following this, the account posted further clips filmed across Vietnam. Inspired by the trend, other TikTokers, including @GorillaiDeas and @amalia_maximova, have shared their own travel videos showing everything from cycling through Hoi An and checking in at Ha Giang to enjoying a morning workout on Da Nang beach. Tran Mai Hanh, a travel marketing expert who works across social media, noted that this particular trend requires participants to document real travel journeys, without staging or effects. The raw authenticity of these clips, she explained, is what drives their broad appeal and rapid spread across platforms. Tran Viet Phuong, a digital content creator, expressed his pride at seeing fun, light-hearted clips of people all over the world sharing their eagerness to explore Vietnam. This fresh, new way of showcasing the country could give Vietnamese tourism a powerful boost, he noted. Dang Duy Trung Hieu, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Tourism Association, pointed out that social media has become a key channel for tourism marketing. Content shared by influencers, travel bloggers and everyday travellers can spread rapidly and encourage younger tourists in particular to visit these destinations for themselves.

According to a survey by Klook, one of Asia’s leading platforms for experiences and travel services, 62% of tourists in Asia-Pacific plan their trips based on social media recommendations from regular people rather than celebrities. In Vietnam, more than 90% of young travellers choose their destinations after seeing viral videos and picturesque images online. This underscores the growing impact of short-form video content on modern tourism decisions and points to Vietnam’s huge potential to leverage digital media to attract even more visitors.

Trend-based travel

Campaigns like #HelloVietnam - a joint initiative by TikTok Vietnam and the Vietnam Tourism Association launched in late 2023 - have also played a key role in spreading this trend. Designed to promote Vietnamese tourism through authentic travel experiences and digital content, the campaign invited nearly 60 content creators from around the world to explore Vietnam for a week - visiting landmarks from Ha Long Bay and Son Doong Cave to vibrant cities like Da Nang, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. Their personal, emotive stories filled with vivid images of food, people and landscapes quickly went global, reaching millions of social media users and helping “Vietnam is calling” gain further momentum as a top online trend. Dr Bui Quoc Liem of RMIT University Vietnam said that social media offers a golden opportunity to tell Vietnam’s tourism story in a vivid, engaging and relatable way. “A creative, data-driven and community-focused social media strategy can not only draw visitors but also help establish Vietnam as a competitive tourism brand,” he added./.