Tourist behavior has shifted, with many families and groups of friends now preferring destinations near to home. On the first Sunday of June, a resort in Mui Ne, Phan Thiet City, Binh Thuan Province, welcomed up to 2,000 guests. In the morning, the resort’s four major restaurants were full, prompting staff to open banquet rooms to serve breakfast. “Our places have been busy with travelers since summer began. Most of these guests are from HCMC thanks to convenient transportation,” said an electric shuttle driver as he drove our family to the breakfast restaurant, gesturing towards the long rows of parked private cars in the resort yard. Since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, tourists have had a growing preference for destinations near to home, particularly those accessible within a few hours’ drive. Short-distance travel has become even more popular these days, fueled by the expanding expressway networks. Favorite destinations which are near HCMC and Hanoi are increasingly frequented by tourists. Furthermore, the steady increase in private car ownership and the recent spikes in airfares have also contributed to this trend. Popular places near HCMC such as Phan Thiet, Vung Tau, Ho Tram, Ninh Thuan and Dalat draw significant numbers of […]