MANILA, Philippines - Vietnam is very popular among Pinoys, with key destinations such as Halong Bay and Chu Chi Tunnels a byword among Filipino travellers. The Vietnamese, on the other hand, aren’t too familiar with the pristine beaches of Boracay or the rolling hills of Batanes.

But not for long, hopefully. The Philippines recently had its “coming-out” party in the country when it participated for the first time in the International Travel Expo (ITE) held in Ho Chi Minh City.

The three-day event, filled with cultural performances, was housed in the city’s Phu Tho Exhibition Center, with the theme “Mesmerizing charms of three countries—one destination”—pertaining to the the sub-Mekong countries of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque Jr. said that the growing number of Vietnamese travellers is more into urban activities such as shopping rather than beaches.

“From what we have gathered, they buy a lot. They buy everything [in the Philippines because] the quality is good and the style is trendy,” he said.

There are no supermalls in Ho Chi Minh, as opposed to the Philippines, which has three of the world’s biggest malls (and mall rats?).

While both Ben Than market in Ho Chi Minh and Greenhills and 168 mall in Manila have their share of tiangge knockoffs and China-made items, stuff sold in Manila are more up-to-date, unlike clothes in Vietnamese centers that seem like ’90s surplus items.

“We give them six hours for shopping, kulang! They get lost in shopping, so we give them the whole day,” said Jarque.

“Our malls are a different experience. The whole entertainment is there, it’s really a lifestyle.”

While the women shop and hit the salons and spas for treatments, the men check out the nightlife. The Department of Tourism (DOT) is also looking into offering English study tours to the Vietnamese—the same package many Koreans have taken.

DOT has held press trips and familiarization tours for Vietnamese tour groups, in cooperation with the private sector.

Brochures featuring SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, Glorietta, Greenbelt, Greenhills Shopping Center, Tiendesitas and Market! Market! in English and Vietnamese were also handed out during the expo.

Scooter city

Ho Chi Minh is a dead-ringer for the Binondo-Chinatown area, with small-scale businesses side by side with street cafés, hawkers and carts offering all kinds of wares.

It is a busy city, what with hordes of scooters coming from all directions. With greater income, the Vietnamese are slowly discovering leisurely travel and luxury items. In fact, their improved living standards, along with cheaper fares, promos, campaigns and tour packages, has seen a rise in outbound travel since 2004.

Vietnamese often go to China and Malaysia for shopping, Singapore for medical attention or education, Thailand for cosmetic treatments and South Korea to check out places they’ve seen in TV dramas. The Philippines wants to get its share of that growing market.

Third Secretary and Vice Consul Alnee Arugay said the Vietnamese are highly influenced by Western media (the entire Ho Chi Minh has free and fast Wi-fi, by the way). They are also into whitening products, cosmetics and jewelry, said Vice Consul Pam Durian.

The Philippines, a two-hour flight from Vietnam with 19 direct flights weekly from three airlines, projects a tourism boom from the country by 2010, with 2.5 million Vietnamese tourists expected to pour in.

A typical Vietnamese tourist spends US$60 a day overseas and pays in cash. He or she isn’t exactly a credit-card fan.

Vigan-inspired booth

A total of 168 exhibitors from 13 countries participated in the fourth ITE, said Chong Kam Lin, project director of IIR Exhibitions, one of the expo organizers. Among these countries were Australia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, South Korea, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Qatar.

The Philippines got VIP treatment during the event, with a Philippine Night held to further strengthen relations between the two countries. A Vietnam-Philippine Friendship Day was also celebrated on Sept. 10.

“Vietnam promises to be an important travel market,” says Rica Bueno, Team Asia-Pacific head. “There is a 38-percent growth rate from July 2008 from July 2006.”

The Philippine booth in the ITE was a charming bahay-na-bato with capiz windows inspired by old Vigan houses, adorned with multicolor capiz parol and bright kiping chandeliers. It won the Best Decorated Raw Space Award.

Peace and order

One of the Filipino exhibitors, Sandra Dy of Hafti Tours Inc., was surprised at the overwhelming turnout.

“There were a lot of inquiries and the response was positive. Visitors usually asked about Cebu and Bohol, but some were also concerned about the peace and order situation in the Philippines,” she said.

Aside from aggressive promotions, DOT has to work on the country’s image, which is clouded by reports of insurgencies, rebel attacks and an unstable economy.

“We always tell them how far Manila is from Mindanao,” said Jarque. He said he’s confident that once tourists make that trip to the Philippines, the country would score high in tourists’ scorecards.

Vida Candelaria of Crown Regency Hotels and Resorts noted the Vietnamese should be “courted” with reasonably priced trips, while Sarina Chang, general manager of Jeron Travel and tours, said she fielded questions from Vietnamese onlookers about local handicrafts.

Traveling has become an Asian lifestyle, and with the right push, the untapped Vietnamese market would surely find fresh, novel beauty in the islands—and malls—of Philippines.