Saigon residents are disappointed with a hot air balloon ride costing 700,000 VND that lasts... only 5 minutes.

The Hot Air Balloon Festival is an activity within the framework of the 2nd Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Week in 2022. Taking place from December 8th to 11th, the Hot Air Balloon Festival received a warm welcome from locals and tourists alike. It can be said that this is one of the unique, novel, and distinctive activities with a "festival within a festival" model, contributing to improving the quality of tourism products and promoting the image of Ho Chi Minh City as a destination to domestic and international tourists at the end of the year.

Ms. Pham Nguyen Hong Dao (Tan An City, Long An Province) expressed her excitement: "This is the first time I've seen a hot air balloon in real life. When I learned about this event, I arranged my schedule so that I could leave Long An for Ho Chi Minh City this morning to see it with my own eyes."

It wasn't just Ms. Dao; many young people present also took the opportunity to pose for photos in front of the hot air balloon launch area.

According to the organizers, during the festival, people could not only admire hot air balloons but also experience hot air balloon rides, enjoying panoramic views of the city from above. However, inconsistent information made it difficult for people to access accurate information.

Ms. Thu Huyen, residing in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City, said that her family saw information on social media about a hot air balloon ride at an altitude of 70 meters for about 15 minutes. However, after paying 700,000 VND per person for the experience, Ms. Huyen felt quite disappointed. She stated: "The altitude of the hot air balloon was actually quite low, only flying about 10 meters for 5 minutes. For me, 700,000 VND for this experience is unreasonable."

To address these concerns, a member of the organizing committee shared that the 15-minute time would include the time for the hot air balloon to ascend and descend, as well as the flight time and altitude, which would depend on the weather. However, the information provided seemed incomplete and did not answer the public's questions, leading to a less-than-ideal experience.

Besides the reviews from customers who have experienced hot air balloon rides, many tourists missed out on the opportunity to experience hot air balloon rides due to a lack of information.

Ms. Giang Nguyen (23 years old), a tourist from Vung Tau, shared: "Our group couldn't find any information stating that the hot air balloons only fly from 7 am to 9 am. Furthermore, the location wasn't clearly marked, making it difficult for people from other provinces like us. When we arrived, we were 10 minutes late because we didn't know the time, and to make matters worse, today was the last day of the festival. In the end, we missed this exciting activity."

The event demonstrated Ho Chi Minh City's ability to grasp modern tourism image promotion trends with innovation and creativity. However, tourism image promotion must go hand in hand with disseminating information on online platforms to connect more fully with the public.

Yen Nhi