Vietnam among friendliest countries on Earth

Vietnam has ranked ninth out of the ten friendliest countries in the world. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has ranked ninth out of the ten friendliest countries in the world, the World Population Review cited a survey conducted by InterNations.

Experts believe that this rank will become one of the favourable factors for tourists to choose Vietnam for their post-COVID-19 experience, thus helping the country’s non-smoke industry revive.

New names on the list

The ten friendliest names in the world are Portugal, Taiwan, Mexico, Cambodia, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Oman, Colombia, Vietnam and Canada.

Some popular travel destinations such as the UK, France, and the US were placed 55th, 55th, and 36th respectively.

The ranks in this survey change dramatically within a few years as many factors can greatly affect a country’s attitude towards foreign travelers or expats.

Visitors to Eiffel Tower in France on August 7 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Four years ago, the UK was the 19th friendliest country and has now dropped to 56th place. One Portuguese expat explained that he believes Brexit has something to do with the decreased friendliness in the country.

The ten friendliest countries have rates from 81 percent to 94 percent for friendly attitudes towards foreign residents. These are far above the global average rate of 67 percent. With the exception of Cambodia, all of the top ten countries ranked in the top 15 countries with the highest overall life abroad satisfaction.

Why is Vietnam listed in top 10?

What are the friendliest countries in the world? Both expats and travelers going abroad can feel isolated being in a new country with people who speak a different language and have a different culture, Worldpopulationreview said.

Going abroad is much easier for those starting a new life and more enjoyable for those traveling when you’re in a welcoming, friendly country with a positive outlook on out-of-towners and people of different cultures. Some countries are more tolerant than others.

While this might seem like a matter of personal experience, InterNations conducted a survey of over 180 countries to find out which countries are most welcoming to expats and foreign travelers. The survey measured each country’s friendly attitude toward expats, ease of making local friends, and expats likely to stay forever.

A friendly attitude with a positive view on strangers and people of other cultures has helped Vietnam to reach the top ten.

Both expats and travelers going abroad can feel isolated being in a new country with people who speak a different language and have a different culture. (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Portugal is reportedly the friendliest and most welcoming country for expats in the world. According to the InterNations survey, 94 percent of Portugal locals have a friendly attitude towards expats with most people said to be friendly and helpful and looking out for one another.

Approximately 36 percent of expats reported that they feel at home right away and 47 percent said that they would possibly stay in Portugal forever. Portugal is also one of the safest countries in the world.

Costa Rica ranks first for expats making local friends, with a 78 percent rating. Furthermore, 88 percent of respondents felt content with their new life in Costa Rica and 81 percent feel at home in the new culture, which is why 48 percent of expats report that they intend to stay in Costa Rica forever (compared to 29 percent globally).

Earlier this year, Vietnam was also ranked the 10th best place in the world for expats, according to the recently released 2021 Expat Inside Survey by InterNations.

Regarding the Ease of Settling In index, Vietnam was ranked 25th globally and secured ninth place for ease in making local friends.

Vietnam’s tourism sector has been hardest-hit by COVID-19 as the number of foreign tourists in the first six months of 2021 saw a year-on-year plunge of 97.6 percent with only 88,200. Tourism revenue only reached 4.5 trillion VND (197.64 million USD), down 51.8 percent.

Some 95 percent of travel companies have to cease operations or switch to other sectors./.