The Friday Rewind 2: Summer Turns Sour in Vietnam, While Thai Tourism Plays in the Premier League

Listen to this episode

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Podbean

View All Episodes

About This Episode

31 Jul 2020 • 15m11s

In episode 2 of The Friday Rewind, Gary and Hannah deliver an express, 15-minute recap of 5 red-hot talking points in South East Asian travel from the past 7 days.

Today’s discussion points are:

1) Lockdown Meltdown in Vietnam

Fears grow nationwide after domestic tourists test positive in Danang, and then head home.

2) Malaysia Airlines gets USD300 million… Then Doesn’t!

Airline CEO forcefully denies a reported new government bailout for the troubled flag carrier.

3) Cambodia Forbids Flights from Malaysia & Indonesia

Diplomatic ructions as returnee flights to Cambodia via the two countries bring home COVID-positive passengers.

4) Taiwan Stands Tough on Tourism

As Taiwan confronts domestic overtourism in its outlying islands, could it write off 2020 for inbound and outbound travel?

5) Thai Tourism Plays in the Premier League

The Tourism Authority of Thailand teams up with King Power and Leicester City to promote the Land of Smiles to football fans.

Resources

https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/770149/hard-days-ahead-for-da-nang-tourism.html

https://www.thejakartapost.com/seasia/2020/07/27/vietnam-to-evacuate-80000-people-from-danang-after-virus-outbreak.html

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3094940/coronavirus-latest-vietnam-suspends-flights-and-da-nang?

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/life/trend/vietnamese-brace-for-second-covid-19-wave-4137429.html

https://www.nst.com.my/business/2020/07/612272/malaysia-airlines-chief-labels-report-us300mil-grant-crap

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/newsbreak-mas-said-get-lift-us300m-funding

https://english.cambodiadaily.com/business/cambodia-to-ban-flights-from-malaysia-and-indonesia-167186/

https://focustaiwan.tw/politics/202007230014

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2020/07/25/2003740506

https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2020/07/25/2003740526

https://www.lcfc.com/news/1736789/thailand-smiles-with-you-leicester-city–king-power-team-up-to-support-thai-tourism

http://www.insideworldfootball.com/2020/07/27/leicester-builds-thai-commitments-one-year-tourist-board-deal/

« Next Episode Ep 31: Can SEA Islands Provide a Blueprint for the Future of Tourism? Previous Episode » Ep 30: 7 Months in a COVID Travel Bubble

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play

4 May 2026 • 18m00s

Ep 302: Thailand's Newest Tourism Tax, 2 ASEAN Airlines in Global Flight Cuts Top 10 & Baby Shark in Singapore: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

Why is Thailand considering a second tourism tax? Could the Philippines rescind its decision to scrap an outbound air travel fee? Which ASEAN airlines are cutting the most flights from May-July? And is India’s outbound growth story hitting an energy-crunch roadblock? Those are four of the key questions Gary and Hannah ask and answer on our Start the Week show. To kickstart the May holiday week, we head to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Myanmar via India and South Korea to tackle the 6 top regional talking points.

Play

27 Apr 2026 • 15m31s

Ep 300: Thailand & Cambodia Pursue Peace, Myanmar Nears ASEAN Return & Embodied AI Tourism in Malaysia: Start the Week in The South East Asia - Part 1

Is a rapprochement between Thailand and Cambodia getting closer? Could Myanmar soon return to ASEAN? And how will embodied AI transform the tourism landscape in South East Asia? Those are three of the top questions Gary and Hannah ask and answer in Part 1 of our two-part Start the Week show. To kickstart the lead-up to the May holiday period, we head to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and China to tackle the talking points that matter.