If you are an avid traveler who is constantly looking for new adventures in places around the world, you must have seen a photo or two of a place with mesmerizing teal water elegantly flowing through uniquely shaped limestone islands or of vast emerald green staircase fields that are satisfyingly symmetrical and beautifully arranged. Those images of Ha Long Bay and Mu Cang Chai are just some of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam. So, how has Vietnam been making our beautiful sceneries and unique cultures known to the international community? The answer is familiarisation visit in Vietnam.
There are many other beautiful places in this Southeast Asian country with diverse and long-standing cultural heritage along with culinary delights, and travelers around the world are beginning to put Vietnam on top of their bucket lists more and more in the recent years. However, traveling to a country that you have never been to and are not familiar with can be quite intimidating and overwhelming, which could be a deterrent to people actually coming to Vietnam. The key solution to overcoming this barrier is familiarisation visit, or in short FAM visit. If you are looking to learn more about familiarisation visit in Vietnam and must-visit destinations in the country, this article is for you!
What is Familiarisation Visit?
Familiarisation visit, or in short FAM visit, is a tourism model aimed at providing travel influencers, bloggers, journalists as well as domestic and international tour agencies with the chance to explore and familiarize themselves with what the destination’s tourism scenery has to offer. These familiarisation visits are offered free of charge or at a discounted price as a form of hands-on information gathering and advertising to travel influencers, agencies, along with key opinion leaders in the tourism space. FAM visits are organized by the destination’s local government or tour providers as a way to make the destination more well-known and boost tourism there.
On FAM trips, travelers are guided by professional tour guides who are greatly familiar with the local cultures and introduced to not only the general landscape of the area but also unique seasonal events or culinary specialties. These FAM trips not only provide travel influencers and journalists with real-life experiences to talk about in their content but also give tourism providers opportunities to survey price ranges as well as itineraries to provide for future clients.
Familiarisation Visit in Vietnam
Being a small S-shaped country in Southeast Asia with a less well-known spoken language, Vietnam has made extensive use of familiarisation trips to bring our natural beauties and uniquely diverse cultures known to the world. Familiarisation visit in Vietnam, in recent years, has proven to expand the country’s tourism to other places such as India, Malaysia, Philippines, United States, and United Kingdom.
With the newly opened flight route from Manila, Philippines to Da Nang, in December of 2023, Da Nang Department of Tourism welcomed a group of 10 press reporters and influencers along with a group of 11 travel agencies representatives to survey services and tourist spots in Da Nang. This FAM trip has shown to successfully promote Da Nang tourism to the Philippines travel-avid community.
Likewise, a familiarisation visit in Vietnam from Mumbai, India by a group of founders and directors of leading tour operators there has brought fruitful results. Having had the chance to experience different kinds of services in Vietnam, including high-end luxury tours to MICE and leisure activities, one of the key opinion leaders from Mumbai, Rahim Aslam, has said: “We can feel the keenness of Vietnam in approaching and marketing to India and we are also enthusiastic in promoting this destination for the high-income spenders.”
Familiarisation visit in Vietnam has proven to be of essential benefit to the country’s tourism landscape, helping to promote tourism destinations as well as aiding local service providers to improve on their current practices. This makes sure Vietnam would continue to provide travelers with top-notched services and lifelong memories. These FAM visits also aid tour providers in negotiating price ranges with local agencies and getting inspirations to design their own tours for prospective clients.
To sum it up, familiarisation visit in Vietnam has many undeniable benefits to the country as well as prospective travelers who are keen on visiting the place. So, what are the most popular as well as novel places in Vietnam that are ideal for FAM trips?
Top Familiarisation Visit Spots in Vietnam
Ha Noi – Ha Long Bay – Ninh Binh
One of the most famous places in Vietnam is Ha Long Bay, UNESCO World Heritage, and it is for very good reasons. The picturesque teal water weaving through uniquely shaped limestone islands is mesmerizing to see. Moreover, Ha Long Bay is conveniently situated near Ha Noi, the capital of Vietnam, and Ninh Binh where several shots of the King Kong movie was filmed. Because of their geographical locations, Ha Noi – Ha Long Bay – Ninh Binh is a very popular itinerary for FAM tours.
When in Ha Noi, travelers get to experience a mix of rich cultural heritage and buzzing nightlife through several historical and architectural landmarks such as Ba Dinh square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hoan Kiem lake, and Old Town. Imagine yourself walking through a part of Vietnam history visiting temples and pagodas in the morning, then at night enjoying the bustling nightlife and exquisite cuisine in the Old Town of Hanoi. Such a rare mix of the past and the present!
Then, on the next day, you get to cruise through the emerald clear water of Ha Long Bay and look at the mesmerizingly beautiful work of nature through thousands of uniquely shaped limestone islands. Then, you get to be on a boat riding through several mysterious caves full of crystals on the peaceful teal water of Trang An, Ninh Binh. On this FAM itinerary, you can make unforgettable lifelong memories!
Moc Chau
Besides well-known locations like Ha Long Bay, Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh city, and Phu Quoc, the northern part of Vietnam is home to many beautiful mountainous sceneries and unique minority communities, which is appealing to travelers seeking novelty and deep engagement in the destination’s culture. One of such locations is Moc Chau, located in Son La Province, around 200 kilometers northwest of Ha Noi.
Being on high altitude, Moc Chau has a more pleasant and cooler weather compared with the Southern part of Vietnam. Here, travelers can deeply immerse in the breathtaking natural beauty, engage in the unique local vibrant culture, and participate in a number of outdoor adventures. Moc Chau is famous for its vast tea plantation, and travelers get the chance to learn more about the tea-making process, walk through massive tea garden, and take in the refreshing scent of tea leaves.
Spring season (from February to April) is an ideal time to visit Moc Chau as travelers have the chance to admire the beautiful full bloom of white plum and peach blossoms. Imagine yourself taking a sip of locally brewed tea in the cool breeze of early morning in Moc Chau while looking out at white plum and peach blossom flowers in full-bloom on the background of vast mountain ranges. That would be a scenery to be remembered forever!
All in all, familiarisation visit in Vietnam is a tourism model that has brought in huge benefits for the country and helped bring Vietnam’s beautiful destinations out to the world. With travel influencers and key opinion leaders in the tourism space being offered the opportunity to experience Vietnam and familiarise themselves with what the country has to offer, travelers around the world have access to information that is otherwise hard to obtain about visiting this incredible Southeast Asian country. So, what are you waiting for? Look at what people have to say about Vietnam and the incredible photos they have taken here! A trip to Vietnam would definitely become one of your lifelong unforgettable experiences.
