Monday, May 26, 2025
Vietnam’s summer tourism surges with luxury travel and smart tech, but rising online scams prompt experts to warn travelers to stay alert and verify bookings.
Vietnam’s vibrant summer tourism season unfolds with a mix of high-end escapes, tech-driven innovations, and growing concerns over digital travel scams
As Vietnam enters the height of its summer tourism wave, the landscape is evolving with premium experiences, smart innovations, and an urgent call for travel safety. With well-off families seeking upscale vacations, travel companies are stepping up with elite offerings tailored for discerning tastes. At the same time, authorities and cybersecurity experts are warning of a surge in online travel scams that could dampen the vacation spirit for unsuspecting tourists.
Flamingo Redtours Targets Vietnam’s Affluent Families
Flamingo Redtours is leading the luxury charge with its newly launched “Elite Lifestyle” tour series. Designed for high-income travelers and experienced vacationers, the package emphasizes personalized service, exclusive activities, and seamless itineraries for families seeking something beyond the ordinary.
Smarter Travel Through Tech Innovation
Vietnam’s travel industry is embracing a new era of digital convenience. Modern solutions such as interactive smart maps, QR-code guided tours, AI-generated personalized travel plans, and voice-enabled virtual assistants are redefining the way people explore destinations. These tools are not just about efficiency—they’re also enriching emotional connections by offering tailored, self-paced journeys.
Cities and Provinces Roll Out Seasonal Highlights
Local governments are getting creative with their tourism strategies to draw visitors in for memorable summer escapes. Hanoi is offering night tours that blend street food adventures with cultural performances. Hà Nam has unveiled a new highlight for visitors—a Sun World water park offering extended evening hours for guests to enjoy after sunset. In Hải Phòng, visitors can enjoy the newly launched “Green Island Symphony” show and a luxurious Hoa Phượng Đỏ river cruise.
Further south, Quảng Ninh lights up the evening with its “Ocean Dance” night shows. Sa Pa continues to charm guests with its colorful Rose Festival, while Huế highlights traditional arts and cuisine through its annual Summer Festival. In Đà Nẵng, the world-renowned International Fireworks Festival returns, promising dazzling displays that light up the skies and the travel calendar.
Scammers Exploit Summer Rush
But behind the festive facade, experts are sounding the alarm about a parallel rise in tourism-related fraud. According to Mastercard’s Economics Institute, scams affecting the travel sector surged in 2024—with a sharp 18 percent rise during summer and a 28 percent spike in winter.
Cities flagged as high-risk zones for scam incidents included Hanoi, Cancun, Dhaka, and Bangkok. Meanwhile, traveler reviews pointed to cities like San Francisco, Seoul, Dublin, Budapest, and Edinburgh as the safest global destinations.
Common Fraud Tactics Disguised as Deals
The most frequent types of scams reported include forged bookings, fake airline or train tickets, rental car fraud, and overpriced souvenirs or transport services. Tourists often fall victim to agents who offer discounted trips only to cancel or change details at the last minute without refunds.
Even more worrying is the growing trend of online impersonation. A prominent resort group managing six hotels across Vietnam reported that more than 170 fake fanpages have been created to mimic its brand. Many of these pages appear legitimate—with realistic branding, official-looking content, and even blue checkmarks for verification—making it difficult for customers to spot the fraud.
Despite repeated efforts to remove them, these pages quickly re-emerge, often pushing deals that look authentic but are scams. Victims are enticed by offers on cut-price flights, accommodation packages, and all-inclusive holidays—only to lose their money.
Online Travel Fraud Hits Record Highs
The Vietnam Cybersecurity Association reported that online scams led to national losses totaling VNĐ18.9 trillion (about US$760 million) in 2024. A significant portion of this came from fraudulent tourism pages impersonating trusted names in aviation, hotels, and travel agencies.
Scammers frequently operate through Facebook, Zalo, and TikTok, tricking users into transferring deposits and then disappearing by deleting their accounts or cutting communication. In more advanced cases, phishing websites are used to harvest personal information, including bank login details and OTP codes, which are then used for unauthorized financial transactions.
How Travelers Can Protect Themselves
The sophistication of scam operations today makes it essential for travelers to stay alert. Experts advise checking for brand consistency across websites and social media accounts. Genuine business pages typically have extensive posting histories, proper grammar, accurate contact details, and URLs that match the official domain.
In contrast, fake fanpages tend to be recently created, lack professional content, and may have undergone recent name changes—an indicator that the page was repurposed. One of the most effective safety tips is to begin all brand searches directly from the official website rather than social media, where scammers pay to boost visibility through ads.
Some scammers also run Google Ads that place fake booking sites at the top of search results, tricking users into clicking on malicious or deceptive platforms. Staying alert to these tactics can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim.
Tourists Urged to Stay Vigilant This Season
As the summer unfolds with record bookings and enhanced experiences, travelers are urged to verify all bookings, double-check social media pages, and stay cautious when sharing personal or payment information. Being aware of digital pitfalls is just as important as picking the right destination.
With high-end tourism on the rise and digital services transforming the journey, Vietnam is set to offer one of its most vibrant summers yet—but safety and awareness must remain at the core of every traveler’s plans.
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