Singapore is considered a “shopping paradise” in the eyes of many Vietnamese tourists. Some even go to Singapore at least 5 times a year.
Singapore has reopened, meaning that the “shopping addiction” of many tourists is also satisfied after a long stay at home because of the Covid-19 epidemic. According to Zing’s research, shopping is always a prerequisite for most Vietnamese visitors to Singapore.
Large number of guests
This is what Mr. Keith Tan – Director General of Singapore Tourism Board – confirmed with Zing. By the end of August, the number of Vietnamese visitors to Singapore ranked 5th, only after Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Australia.
“Before the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2019, we welcomed about 600,000 tourists from Vietnam to Singapore. This year, by the end of August, we have welcomed more than 100,000 Vietnamese visitors. The growth of Vietnamese tourists this year are very strong. We see Vietnam as a potential growth market,” said Mr. Keith Tan.
According to a representative of the Singapore Tourism Board, an important reason for this boom is that flights between Singapore and Vietnam have been restored.
About 90% of flights between Singapore and Vietnam have been restored. Every week, there are 128 flights between Hanoi, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. Ho Chi Minh City is the place with the most flights due to its proximity. Round trip tickets from Vietnam to Singapore are relatively cheap, sometimes only about 3 million VND if flying from Hanoi.
Many Vietnamese tourists have a hobby of going to Singapore to buy branded goods like Hoang Giang. Photo: NVCC.
Besides the story of convenient transportation, many tourists revealed to Singapore to shop for high-quality items. Hoang Giang (living in Hanoi) revealed that he goes to Singapore 5 times a year. An employee of a luxury fashion house at a shopping center on Orchard Road told him the number of Vietnamese people coming here is really large.
“She also asked me if I had this brand in Vietnam, because Vietnamese people come here to shop too much,” he said.
Talking to Zing, Teresa Quynh Anh (living in Binh Duong), specializing in Singapore tours, also confirmed the same. According to her, Singapore is always the first choice of Vietnamese tourists when traveling. On average, each month, her company organizes 5 tours to Singapore with about 100 visitors.
The operator of this tour said that Vietnamese visitors to Singapore are willing to spend a whole day just shopping for clothes, chocolate…
Why do Vietnamese people like to go shopping in Singapore?
The story of Vietnamese people queuing to buy iPhone 14 in Singapore continues this year. According to Zing’s research, the demand for this item is quite high. The price of hiring people to queue for households has also reached 300 SGD (about 5 million VND).
The story of the newly launched iPhone does not fully reflect the reasons why Vietnamese people prefer to go to Singapore. The peak of Singapore tourism for Vietnamese people is summer. The reason is that from July to September, Singapore begins the “off season”. Customers can find items from affordable to high-end at good prices.
When shopping in Singapore, customers can also get a tax refund of up to 7%. The number does not look too big but it will be a bargain if you buy high-value items.
Tax refund policy, rich products are the reason many Vietnamese customers “love” to go to Singapore. Photo: CH.
On the other hand, Singapore has many shopping complexes such as Orchard or Marina Bay Sands (MBS). Points programs when shopping in Singapore are not limited to brands that shop customers. You can accumulate points in common when buying items in these combinations.
According to some visitors to Singapore for shopping tourism, the price of products here is not different from Vietnam because it is in the same Asian region. However, Singapore has an abundant number of visitors and large purchasing power, so the source of goods is richer than in Vietnam. Shopping malls that stretch and connect to each other also make visitors spend more heavily.
High-end stores are located close to each other, making it difficult for visitors to escape the “shopping madness”. Photo: Travel Chanel.
Sharing with Zing, Hoang Giang said he feels comfortable shopping in Singapore. This country thrives on tourism services, so they focus a lot on customer experience. The store staffs are mostly welcoming even if you don’t buy anything.
“Singapore can also be considered as an intermediary station for brand warranty. Besides luxury goods, Singaporean health-related products such as wind oil, cocoa, and functional foods are also sought by many Vietnamese people.”
Compared to Thailand, Singapore is cleaner and has better infrastructure. Compared to Japan or South Korea, Singapore also has the advantage of attracting Vietnamese tourists thanks to the fact that it does not need a visa, and the airfare is comfortable,” Hoang Giang said.
@ Zing News