Foreign tourists enjoy checking in on the Golden Bridge in the Sun World Bà Nà Hills complex in the central city of Đà Nẵng. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Over the past week, vibrant videos tagged ‘Việt Nam is calling’ have gone viral on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, sparking a global travel craze. From Europe to Asia, vloggers and young travellers are joining the trend by booking trips to Việt Nam, all sharing the same message - ‘Việt Nam is calling and I’m ready to go’ - and fuelling a surge in international interest.

A quick search for “Việt Nam is calling” on TikTok reveals a myriad of clips capturing the excitement of visitors setting off for Việt Nam, with short videos showing tourists holding their passports, wheeling their suitcases through airports or exploring Việt Nam's scenic landscapes, diverse cuisine and unique culture - all set to upbeat, catchy soundtracks.

One standout example is TikToker @parmersss, who uploaded a clip of himself skipping joyfully through an airport with passport and plane ticket in hand, eagerly anticipating his trip to Việt Nam. The video garnered more than 2 million views between June 9 - 19. Following this, the account posted further clips filmed across Vietnam. Inspired by the trend, other TikTokers, including @GorillaiDeas and @amalia_maximova, have shared their own travel videos showing everything from cycling through Hội An and checking in at Hà Giang to enjoying a morning workout on Đà Nẵng beach.

Trần Mai Hạnh, a travel marketing expert who works across social media, noted that this particular trend requires participants to document real travel journeys, without staging or effects. The raw authenticity of these clips, she explained, is what drives their broad appeal and rapid spread across platforms.

Trần Việt Phương, a digital content creator, expressed his pride at seeing fun, light-hearted clips of people all over the world sharing their eagerness to explore Việt Nam. This fresh, new way of showcasing the country could give Vietnamese tourism a powerful boost, he noted.

Đặng Duy Trung Hiếu, Vice Chairman of the Hà Nội Tourism Association, pointed out that social media has become a key channel for tourism marketing. Content shared by influencers, travel bloggers and everyday travellers can spread rapidly and encourage younger tourists in particular to visit these destinations for themselves.

According to a survey by Klook, one of Asia’s leading platforms for experiences and travel services, 62 per cent of tourists in Asia-Pacific plan their trips based on social media recommendations from regular people rather than celebrities. In Việt Nam, more than 90 per cent of young travellers choose their destinations after seeing viral videos and picturesque images online. This underscores the growing impact of short-form video content on modern tourism decisions and points to Việt Nam's huge potential to leverage digital media to attract even more visitors. 

A performance of the Đà Nẵng Festival 2025. — VNA/VNS Photo

 Trend-based travel

Campaigns like #HelloVietnam - a joint initiative by TikTok Việt Nam and the Việt Nam Tourism Association launched in late 2023 - have also played a key role in spreading this trend. Designed to promote Vietnamese tourism through authentic travel experiences and digital content, the campaign invited nearly 60 content creators from around the world to explore Việt Nam for a week - visiting landmarks from Hạ Long Bay and Sơn Đoòng Cave to vibrant cities like Đà Nẵng, Hội An and HCM City.

Their personal, emotive stories filled with vivid images of food, people and landscapes quickly went global, reaching millions of social media users and helping “Việt Nam is calling” gain further momentum as a top online trend.

Dr Bùi Quốc Liêm of RMIT University Vietnam said that social media offers a golden opportunity to tell Vietnam’s tourism story in a vivid, engaging and relatable way. “A creative, data-driven and community-focused social media strategy can not only draw visitors but also help establish Việt Nam as a competitive tourism brand,” he added. — VNA/VNS