VietTESOL International Convention 2026

Evaluative Language in English Travel Blogs about Vietnam:
An Appraisal-Based Analysis

Hoa Thi Quynh Nguyen:
University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Danang: ntqhoa@ufl.udn.vn
Linh Thi My Vo:
University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Danang: vtmlinh@ufl.udn.vn
corresponding author:
Abstract:
Despite growing scholarly interest in tourism discourse, relatively little attention has been paid to how English travel bloggers construct Vietnam’s destination image through evaluative language. Drawing on Appraisal Theory developed within Systemic Functional Linguistics by James R. Martin and Peter R. R. White in “The Language of Evaluation: Appraisal in English” (2005), this study investigates how evaluative meanings are realized in English travel blogs about Vietnam. The analysis focuses on the Attitude subsystem, including Affect, Judgement, and Appreciation, as well as their lexicogrammatical realizations in digital tourism discourse. The data were drawn from a corpus of authentic English travel blogs written by international travelers about Vietnam, from which 100 evaluative excerpts were selected for qualitative discourse analysis. The findings reveal that positive evaluations occur considerably more frequently than negative ones across all Attitude categories, reflecting bloggers’ tendency to portray Vietnam as an attractive, culturally rich, and emotionally engaging destination. Among the evaluative resources, Appreciation emerges as the dominant category, particularly in descriptions of landscapes, cuisine, culture, and local experiences. Evaluative meanings are predominantly realized through attitudinal adjectives and nominal groups, which enhance the persuasive and experiential dimensions of tourism discourse. It is hoped that the study will provide insights into the role of evaluative language in shaping readers’ perceptions of Vietnam in online tourism communication.
Keywords: evaluative language; Appraisal Theory; Systemic Functional Linguistics; tourism discourse; travel blogs.

Biodata:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Hoa is currently Vice Dean of the Faculty of English and Senior Lecturer at the University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Danang (UFLS-UD). She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics and has over 30 years of experience teaching English and linguistics. Her research interests include English language studies, linguistics, discourse analysis, translation studies, language and culture, and English as a medium of instruction (EMI). From 2006 to 2014, she served as the founding Dean of the Faculty of International Studies at UFLS-UD.

M.A. Võ Thị Mỹ Linh is currently an officer of the Department of Student Affairs at the University of Foreign Language Studies, The University of Danang (UFLS-UD). She holds a Master’s degree in English Language in 2025. Her research interests include English language studies, linguistics, discourse analysis, language and culture, and English as a medium of instruction (EMI).