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This is the first time Agoda – an online travel platform – has organized the “Solo Travel Dream Deals Contest: Design Your Itinerary - Win Amazing Prizes” for solo travel enthusiasts, with a total prize value of up to 60 million VND for the winners. Since the program launched, the organizers have received many high-quality entries featuring exciting and creative itineraries designed based on nearly four million accommodation and flight options from leading airlines worldwide, along with countless activities on the Agoda platform. This demonstrates the broad and limitless connection of the community of young people passionate about exploration and experiences in general, and solo travel in particular.
As a judge and guest of choice for the Dream Deals Contest, travel blogger Vinh Gấu shared: “I think the program received more entries than I expected, especially in such a relatively short time. This shows that young people also have a passion for solo travel and are willing to research and plan their own trips. The entries are very diverse, ranging from trips to nearby countries to faraway lands in Europe.”
With a unique solo trip that optimized services within a total cost of 60 million VND for round-trip flights, accommodation, and selected exploration activities on the Agoda platform, Mr. Hoang Le Giang successfully beat many other entries to become the sole winner of the program.
Hoang Le Giang's journey to Japan lasted 9 days (from January 29th to February 6th, 2024), with a schedule of visits to Osaka, Kayabuki No Sato, Kanazawa, Shikawago, and Nagoya. For this solo trip, Hoang Le Giang used the Agoda app to design his itinerary, costing 59,901,756 VND, optimizing the 60 million VND budget provided by Agoda for players with many exciting activities: experiencing public transportation (buses, trains), participating in tours exploring Japanese cuisine and nightlife.
And importantly, a well-planned itinerary, creating a route from Osaka to Nagoya without overlapping locations, allows for enjoying the seasonal beauty of the travel time, whereas most people tend to choose activities that can be done at any time. In particular, the entry closely followed the organizers' regulations; for example, the activity section was meticulously planned to fit within the trip's timeframe; the text explaining the reasons for choosing those locations was closest to the contest's word count requirement (the winner's explanation was 156 words/150 words as required by the organizers).
Hoang Le Giang excelled in numerous competitions to become the sole winner of the program.
Sharing his thoughts on the judging process, travel blogger Vinh Gấu said: “Among the entries, Hoàng Lê Giang's journey perfectly met the criteria for selecting the winner that the organizers announced from the beginning of the competition, such as: the experience had to be before March 31st, the activities were suitable for the time and destination to create unique value for the trip… I think for someone with solo travel experience like Hoàng Lê Giang, planning a trip wasn't too difficult. During the judging process, there were also many entries that were quite good, with interesting destinations and experiences, but they violated the rules, leading to their disqualification or lower scores.”
As the sole winner of the “Solo Travel Dream Deals Contest, Design Your Itinerary - Win Amazing Prizes,” Mr. Hoang Le Giang shared his feelings: “I was very surprised and delighted because this contest was very popular, but I was lucky enough to win and be able to return to Japan. The first thing I need to prepare now is to get the paperwork done to apply for a visa.”
Having visited Japan before, this time, when registering for the "Solo Travel Dream Deals Contest," Hoang Le Giang researched and explored many new destinations to design a unique travel itinerary with a strong personal touch. "My previous trips included Tokyo and Kyoto. However, after watching the documentary 'Street Food Japan,' I learned that Osaka is the capital of street food, so I really wanted to visit and explore it. Furthermore, since it's winter, the scenery will be different, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the cities covered in snow."
Hoang Le Giang shared her feelings: “I was very surprised and happy because this competition was very popular, but I was lucky enough to win and be able to return to Japan. The first thing I need to prepare now is to get the paperwork done to apply for a visa.”
“I chose popular areas like Shirakawa Go mixed with less-touristed places like Kanazawa, combining urban areas like Osaka with rural areas like Kayabuki No Sato to create a contrasting experience. I chose to fly to Osaka and return from Nagoya for easier travel,” Hoang Le Giang further shared about his upcoming itinerary.
With free airfare, hotel accommodation, and up to three fun activities available on Agoda, totaling 60 million VND, Hoang Le Giang will be able to embark on his dream trip to Japan, the "Land of the Rising Sun," in the near future, following the travel plan he has designed himself.
Additional information:
From December 8-24, 2023, Agoda – a digital travel booking platform – in collaboration with Travellive Media Group and Travel Content Creator Vinh Gấu, organized the "Solo Travel Dream Deals Contest: Design Your Itinerary – Win Amazing Prizes" for solo travel enthusiasts. The prize for the winner was up to 60 million VND, allowing them to experience booking services including round-trip flights, up to 10 nights of accommodation, and sightseeing tickets through the Agoda app.
