Domestic and foreign tourists visit Hoi An ancient town. (Photo: VNA)

In the article entitled “On a budget? Why Vietnam delivers Asia’s best value”, the author highlighted reasons for why this Southeast Asian country is the best “worth every penny” choice for Oceanian visitors.

"Lower inflation in Vietnam and a stronger-than-usual Aussie dollar against Asian currencies are a good confluence of events for those wanting to travel to Vietnam. Not only can you nab some incredible deals on budget direct flights from Australia, but there’s also a tonne of distressed accommodation rates due mostly to the country’s strict Covid-19 lockdowns which brutalised their tourism industry for over two years," the author wrote.

"Drinking cheap ‘Bia Hoi’ on a Hanoi street corner was made ubiquitous for tourists when former US President Barack Obama joined celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain in an Old Quarter noodle shop in 2016. You should expect that from midday, on any given day, glasses of this local lager are enjoyed by both locals and tourists from as little as 0.20 to 0.50 cents a glass."

According to him, the Vietnamese have perfected coffee culture to a point where it rivals even Melbourne or Milan. A basic Vietnamese coffee, with the usual (welcome) addition of sweetened condensed milk, only fetches 1.6 AUD.

The first Vietnamese food he told was “pho” with a steaming, hot, delicious bowl costing about 2.5 AUD in Hanoi. He also mentioned “banh mi” (bread) in Vietnamese, saying that there are hundreds of “banh mi” shops around the city.

About accommodation, he said visitors don’t have to spend much to live like a King or Queen in Vietnam.