For the past year, Australian travel media have repeatedly highlighted the flood of tourists heading to Vietnam.

Bali may still top the list of favourite destinations, but it's hard to find a negative word about Vietnam from those who have visited.

Australian visitors to Vietnam have surged significantly, with a 54% increase in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2019, outpacing many other international spots.

More than 276,000 Australians arrived in the first half of 2025 alone.

Booking platforms like Klook reported massive spikes, with hotel bookings up 250% between March and June 2025 compared to the previous year.

Vietnam excels on key factors that draw tourists: price, quality infrastructure, safety, friendliness, stunning landscapes, rich history, cultural uniqueness, climate, and exceptional food.

Above all, for working Australians facing rising living costs, affordability stands out.

Step away from tourist areas, and you can grab a coffee or beer for a dollar, enjoy a bowl of pho for three dollars, or take an hour-long taxi to the airport for about 10 dollars.

Vietnam has earned an extremely positive reputation from travel writers over the past 12 months, driven largely by value for money and the positive impacts of its regulated economy.

Travel writer Chantelle Francis headlined a News Limited story: “Vietnam surges in popularity, emerges as new favourite among Australian tourists”.

A Travel Money Oz spokeswoman told her: “Vietnam consistently offers Australians incredible value, and with the Australian dollar’s steady appreciation against the Vietnamese dong travellers can enjoy even more bang for their buck. This translates directly to your holiday budget, with an average meal or a taxi ride costing around just $5.”

The Vietnamese are industrious and hardworking, unburdened by the over-regulation that hampers much commercial activity in Australia.

Suburban streets buzz with makeshift cafes, street-side eateries specialising in meals by time of day, and home-based shops selling everything from corn to mobile phones.

Where I stayed for months on Saigon's outskirts, morning stalls catered to schoolchildren with breakfast, pens, and books.

Part of Vietnam's allure, amid Australia's government-generated crises, is glimpsing a prosperous, well-functioning Confucian society that values family, community, dignity, and self-worth.

What struck me most was how well-behaved and cherished Vietnamese children are.

Each evening in my apartment complex's public space, swarms of kids ran, jumped, laughed, played, and rode trikes – all clean, tidy, immaculately dressed, with no tantrums.

They appeared genuinely happy and dearly loved.

This scene, with proud, watchful parents and grandparents, repeats nationwide across economic levels, speaking volumes about the country.

These children represent why Australians are increasingly choosing Vietnam – a nation that endured extreme poverty until the 1980s but now enjoys a remarkable boom.

Vietnam has avoided Thailand's mistakes in chasing tourist dollars. Unlike Thailand's world-famous bars, clubs, and sex industry (where locals often resent foreigners), Vietnam remains socially conservative.

Drunken debauchery exists only in small, contained pockets, and with a former policeman leading the country, open drug use in Saigon's entertainment district of Bui Vien is now a thing of the past.

For Australians, it's astonishing we once fought in what we call the Vietnam War and they call the American War. No one defeats the Vietnamese – they proudly recount sending off the French, Germans, Chinese, and Americans.

While Australian flags are rare in this country, the Vietnamese flag flies everywhere, and national pride is taken for granted.

My advice: wander freely. Every country has its con artists, of course, so don’t be stupid. But when a Vietnamese person invites you for a beer, coffee, or meal, accept with grace. You won’t regret it.

Veteran Australian journalist John Stapleton is the author of the 2014 book Thailand: Deadly Destination, which received international coverage and, he wryly notes, promptly became a bestseller on various pirate sites, none of which pay royalties.