Ep 70: Selling a Passion for Vietnam, with Kerry Newsome

Listen to this episode

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google

Podbean

View All Episodes

About This Episode

11 May 2021 • 34m00s

“Vietnam was really hot in 2019,” says Sydney-based Kerry Newsome, Australian Manager of ITS Vietnam and host of the What About Vietnam podcast.

Kerry supports Australian travel agents wanting to sell tours to Vietnam, and accompanies travel groups in Vietnam. She was in the country right before the closure of borders in March 2020 working to help Australian tourists return home before COVID-19 lockdowns took hold.

In this fascinating interview, she tells Gary and Hannah about her passion for the landscapes, cuisines and cultures of Vietnam, and how adventurous Australians were increasingly eager to experience more of the country.

Kerry also discusses how her company ITS Vietnam has adapted to the pandemic era, the prospects for Vietnam reopening to international travel and the future outlook for Australian travellers into Vietnam and South East Asia.

Show notes

What About Vietnam podcast website here.

« Next Episode Ep 71: Community-based Tourism in Thailand, with Charlotte Louwman-Vogels Previous Episode » Ep 69: A South East Asia Travel Resources Guide to the Pandemic

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play

5 Feb 2026 • 30m49s

Ep 284: Did ASEAN Surpass 2019 Arrivals in 2025?, New Airlines in Vietnam & Currency Craziness Everywhere: January 2026 in Review

January disappeared in a flash - and what a crazy month it was worldwide. Here in South East Asia, an intriguing slate of talking points emerged to set up the 2026 travel year - and Lunar New Year is just around the corner. As we do every month, Gary and Hannah recap January’s top 8 takeaways from across ASEAN and beyond with stopovers in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand… and Russia.

Play

2 Feb 2026 • 17m53s

Ep 283: ASEAN Launches 2030 Tourism Roadmap, 20 Years of the Singapore Air Show & Bangkok's Major MICE Win: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

In the fourth edition of our Start The Week show; a fast-paced ride through the hottest travel topics in South East Asia and beyond, Gary and Hannah land in Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia Myanmar, Japan and China. En route, we deconstruct the key points of ASEAN’s 2026-2030 Tourism Blueprint, look at why the IMF/World Bank annual summit is headed to Bangkok, and get ready to buy our Shanghai flight tickets with China’s visa-free travel scheme extended to UK citizens.