According to Pham Ha, founder of Luxury Travel, the UK has been a great market for the company, which has appealing products for Britons' tastes and preferences.

"We target the right clients with personalized products and services." said Ha.

He also noted that the company had increased the number of private small groups that it served, primarily with tailor-made holidays.

"British holidaymakers like custom and private tours, not big groups. The boom in demand suggests that holidaymakers are becoming increasingly canny and watching exchange rates as well as seeking out keenly-priced packages before deciding on their destination." he said.

Britain's tourists, according to Ha, picked Vietnam for their vacations for safety, affordable prices, authenticity, warm weather, and convenient direct flights.

Vietnam Airlines introduced service between Gatwick and Hanoi in December 2011, becoming the first direct flights to the country from Britain, and reducing the journey by several hours.

"With our marketing efforts and commitments, we will attract more British travelers who wish to experience Vietnam in style and luxury, and we'll encourage them stay longer. Typical stays are 10 or 14 days, and in 5-star hotels." he said.

Another reason for the sharp increase in Britons taking holidays in Vietnam is the recent opening of new holiday resorts in the Southeast Asian nation. The past few years have seen the completion of many luxurious resorts with names such as Hyatt Regency Danang Resort and Spa, Intercontinental Peninsula Danang Sun Spa and Six Senses Con Dao, entering the market and offering more choices for travelers.

"With our representative office in London for the UK and Ireland markets, we are targeting double digit growth in this market for 2013." said Ha.

Luxury Travel is a long established Asian specialist in luxury privately guided and fully bespoke holidays in Vietnam and the Indochinese Peninsula. Vietnam now has world class hotels and resorts, beaches and cuisine, in addition to its natural beauty, rich history and traditional culture. The country receives 100,000 British tourists yearly, and the number of tourists increases an average of 68 percent annually.

Britons traveling to Vietnam are looking for a more authentic experience and seek to have a deeper understanding of the country's culture, food, history and everyday life. While Thailand is geared more toward mass market tourism, Vietnam is a destination that is attractive to a more selective class of travelers.

Luxury Travel Ltd.'s booking record indicates that British travelers prefer Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, the former imperial capital Hue and Hoi An Ancient Town.

They also want to visit Halong Bay, the Mekong Delta and Sapa, Mui Ne, Con Dao and the Phu Quoc Islands, while many also combine Vietnam and Cambodia or Myanmar in one trip.