Ep 84: 2021: The Year So Far in Vietnam, with Mike Tatarski

Listen to this episode

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google

Podbean

View All Episodes

About This Episode

21 Jul 2021 • 32m00s

Two-thirds through July, South East Asia’s travel recovery has yet to occur - and is receding into the distance. With the Delta variant spreading fast across ASEAN, nations that were COVID-safe earlier in the year are now under strict lockdown. So today’s show kicks off the “2021: The Year So Far” series, which will feature local experts and analysts in each market.

The journey begins in Vietnam, as Gary and Hannah welcome Ho Chi Minh City-based Mike Tatarski, who is Editor-in-Chief of Saigoneer and founder of the Vietnam Weekly newsletter.

We track back to the start of the year, when domestic travel was relatively free, and then a case surge began around the Tet Holiday.

The current outbreak began in late April, and new infections continue to soar daily. Mike discusses the up-to-date situation nationwide, and the why the vaccine rollout began so slowly.

We also debate the outlook for airlines, travel firms and domestic tourism.

Plus, what are the prospects for the proposed Phu Quoc Sandbox, which is slated to start in October?

Resources

Mike Tatarksi’s Twitter

The Saigoneer

Vietnam Weekly newsletter

Vietnam Weekly podcast on Spotify

« Next Episode Ep 85: 2021: The Year So Far in Singapore, with Karen Yue Previous Episode » Ep 83: When Will US & Canadian Tourists Return to Asia?, with Ernst Flach

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play

13 Nov 2025 • 31m53s

Ep 273: Singapore Leads on SAF, Cambodia Visitor Numbers Dive & A Bahrain Base for AirAsia?: The Latest South East Asia Travel News in Review

With less than 50 days remaining of 2025, South East Asia is barrelling towards the end-of-year holiday travel season. And there’s plenty of news to talk about. This week, Gary and Hannah zoom through the region’s top travel happenings, with stopovers in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos, plus China and Bahrain. We begin with downbeat news about the Thailand-Cambodia peace process, and the detrimental impact this is having on Cambodia’s visitor economy (remember in 2024, Cambodia was the first country in ASEAN to claim it had surpassed its 2019 visitor level).

Play

30 Oct 2025 • 26m28s

Ep 272: Scam Centre Tourism Impacts, SAF Mandates, Q4 Travel Promotions & Timor Leste Joins ASEAN: October 2025 in Review

After a quiet September, October travel activity was stimulated by various national holidays (including Golden Week in China, Chuseok in South Korea, Diwali/Deepavali in India, Malaysia & Singapore and Undas in the Philippines). These created air travel spikes that set the scene for the region’s highly anticipated end-of-year peak season, with destinations making promotional plays to attract each other’s holidaymakers. We begin by looking at the accession of Timor Leste to ASEAN and the prospects of a peace settlement between Thailand and Cambodia.