I still think about Phu Vuong, in Ho Chi Minh City. It was perfect: fragrant, balanced, delicate, filling, topped with mountains of bean sprouts and herbs.
The aroma of that soup, a distinct fragrance mixed with scooter exhaust and humid Saigon air, still lives with me. I will eat it again. I have to do this.
This is the case in Vietnam. That stays with you. It drags you back. I’ve been visiting this country for over 20 years (one of the first emails I sent was to a guesthouse in Hanoi) and never for a second have I tired of it, or even considered the idea that I might not return.
Because I will return, for the Pho Phu Vuong soup, but for many other reasons. Through the misty highlands and culture of Sapa in the far north; through the narrow and busy streets of Hanoi; for the beauty of Halong Bay, for the casual joy and freedom of exploring the Mekong Delta, for the beachy good times of Nha Trang, for the cool relief of Dalat.
I’m not the only one who discovered this. Vietnam is one of the fastest growing destinations for Australian travelers right now, a nation we’re quickly becoming obsessed with.
There has been a big jump in the number of Australians visiting Vietnam recently: a 35.4 per cent increase in the 2024-25 financial year compared to the previous year. From August 2019 to August this year, there was an increase of almost 58 percent.
These raw numbers still don’t compare to giants like Indonesia, New Zealand or Japan, but the trend is undeniable. And Vietnam’s attraction can be compared to our other current and enduring obsession, Japan.
Japan is popular because it is easy to access, a single flight with very little time difference – and Vietnam is the same. However, with companies like VietJet and Jetstar, and less pressure on limited flights, access to Vietnam is cheaper.
Japan is also a hit with Australians because it offers cultural immersion, a feeling that you couldn’t be anywhere else. Vietnam is the same, albeit with an added sense of unpredictability.
We love Japan because of its diversity of locations, from mountains to beaches, lakes to big cities. Vietnam has the same.
And many Australians travel to Japan for food, which you could and absolutely should do in Vietnam. The food scene in this country is very diverse, complex and incredibly accessible, both in terms of price and dining style.
Of course, Japan also has snow, and that’s where the comparison ends. But you see where I’m getting at.
Much of what we love – and what I love – about Japan, a country that has seen a massive increase in Australian visitors over the last decade, can also be found in Vietnam, and often at a fraction of the price. All the things you probably can’t do in another country (in Europe, the US or even parts of Asia), you can do in Vietnam.
And there is more here to love, more to explain the obsession. There is a raw emotion in Vietnam that you don’t feel in many other places.
One of the best travel experiences of my life was riding a scooter through the Mekong Delta, stopping at roadside stalls to drink Vietnamese iced coffee, stopping in small towns to eat banh xeo (crispy pancake stuffed with pork and seafood) for lunch, spending the night in simple inns, and eating noodle soup for breakfast at local markets.
It didn’t hurt, of course, that my partner and I were able to wrap up this experience and then stay at the Reverie Saigon, a super-luxurious five-star hotel in the center of Ho Chi Minh City, where you can get a room for under $400 a night (the Fusion Original Saigon Centre, another five-star hotel, is $250 a night).
That’s one of the best things about Vietnam: you can dip in and out of different experiences, different styles of travel, and everything will be great. You can eat “oc,” or grilled snails, and drink beer at an open-air restaurant one night, and then visit some fancy bar with fancy cocktails the next night. Or do it all in one night.
Travel on a convenient overnight train on the way north, then catch a flight on the way back. Easy. Accessible.
There is also an obvious joy in Vietnam that you don’t find elsewhere: you meet so many people, see their lives and they see yours, in a way that feels balanced and natural. Vietnam’s cities are dynamic and exciting, full of young people running businesses, studying, riding scooters, dining, drinking and having fun. These are great places to be.
I don’t see this growing interest in Australians traveling to Vietnam slowing down any time soon. In fact, I think it will increase. Many first-time visitors will now understand that Vietnam rewards return visits and that these visits will be easy and affordable. You will go again.
Because you will always crave that noodle soup.
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Ben Groundwater is a Sydney-based travel writer, columnist, broadcaster, author and occasional tour guide with over 25 years of media experience and a lifetime of experience traveling the world. He specializes in food and wine – writing about it as well as consuming it – and at any given moment Ben is probably thinking about ramen in Tokyo, pintxos in San Sebastian or carbonara in Rome. Follow him on Instagram @bengroundwaterConnect via email.
