Phong Nha topped the Vietnamese destinations in the ‘Most Welcoming Cities’ list. Travellers demonstrated their deepest appreciation towards staff at the accommodation they stayed at, according to the results of the annual Traveler Review Awards 2021 announced by Booking.com,

This year's rankings were based on over 130 million guest-verified reviews, more than 1.1 million of which were for properties in Vietnam.

Essential attributes of a great stay

Phong Nha Cave. Photo: Cong Hung

So, what did reviewers from Vietnam like about their stay? The Booking.com Traveller Review Awards 2021 indicates that Vietnamese travellers appreciate staff, cleanliness, and comfort most when reviewing award-winning properties on the platform, with those attributes scoring the highest among the categories that travelers rate following their stay.

These preferences are consistent with global trends, which found staff to be the highest rated attribute among the Traveller Review Award 2021 winners, followed by cleanliness and location.

With consumers becoming increasingly health and hygiene conscious, notably, on average, winners had a cleanliness score that was 17% higher than the average cleanliness score for non-winners, suggesting it may be a differentiator for a more perfect welcome.

Hoi An ancient town. Photo: hoian.gov.vn

2021’s Most Welcoming Cities and Regions in Vietnam

Based on the share of properties receiving a Traveller Review Award 2021, Booking.com also revealed the Most Welcoming Cities and Regions in Vietnam for travelers to experience the best in hospitality and friendliness whenever it’s safe again to do so.

These amazing destinations are mostly in the northern part of the country, including UNESCO Heritage sites, mountainous highlands, as well as historic cities known for their rich culture and heritage.

Phong Nha tops  the list of the Most Welcoming Cities in Vietnam with the highest share of winners by destination, followed by Hoi An, Ninh Binh, Sapa and Mai Chau.

Muong Village in Ninh Binh province. Photo: Booking.com

Phong Nha, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to the world’s largest cave and Asia’s oldest karst mountains which were formed 400 million years ago. Ninh Binh, locally known as ‘Halong Bay on Land,’ also attracts tourists with its magical riverine landscape and sheer limestone mountains rising from the paddies. Meanwhile, Hoi An, Sapa, and Mai Chau offer travellers with immersive cultural experiences from its ancient towns and ethnic villages.

At Phong Nha, travelers have a wide range of alternative accommodation to choose from such as Phong Nha Rice Field Homestay with a 9.8 rating basis guest reviews. At Hoi An, visitors can book a stay at Hoi An Rustic Villa with exceptional 10 points for staff.

The 2021’s Most Welcoming Regions in Vietnam are including the provinces of Quang Nam, Lao Cai, Kien Giang, Lam Dong and Hai Phong.

Also, Taitung Country (Taiwan) followed by Prešovský kraj (Slovakia) and Tasmania (Australia) are the top three ‘Most Welcoming Regions on Earth’, according to the evaluation of the travellers.

Emeralda Ninh Binh Resort.

Homes, apartments, and unique places remain top traveler’s favorites

While hotels remain the most-awarded accommodation type in Vietnam for 2021, four out of the five top-awarded accommodation types in Vietnam are unique places to stay: homestay, apartment, guest house and villa.

Bed and breakfast, farm stay, country house, inn and guest house accounted for the most welcoming accommodation types globally, indicating just how memorable unique stay experiences are for travellers across the globe.