Hanoi earns VND2.4 trillion from tourists during national holiday

Hanoi earned VND2.4 trillion (US$103.2 million) from domestic and foreign travelers during the last holiday of the Hung Kings Memorial Day, Reunification Day and Labor Day.

A large number of tourists to the Hoan Kiem pedestrian street area during the national holiday. Photos: Hoai Nam/ The Hanoi Times

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the city welcomed 719,000 visitors from April 29 to May 3, including 69,500 international arrivals and 650,000 domestic tourists.

The Temple of Literature and the Hoa Lo Prison Relic were among the most popular tourist destinations during the national holiday, each welcoming about 30,000 visitors.

About 31,400 people visited the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, while 5,000 people went to the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology to participate in activities featuring traditional water puppetry and a program to learn about Korean culture through traditional hanbok costumes and cuisine.

The Talking with Zoo Animals program at Thu Le Zoo welcomed visitors over the holidays with two sessions to learn about the behaviors and characteristics of peacocks (on April 30) and white-cheeked black gibbons (on May 1). The zoo saw about 130,000 visitors over the National Day holiday.

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum welcomed 81,000 people who came to pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh, including 5,142 foreign visitors during the five-day holiday.

Visitors to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum received free bottles of water, milk and cookies.

Visitors to the mausoleum received gifts from the Hanoi Department of Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board, including free water, milk, and biscuits. A total of 40,000 gifts were distributed, according to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board.

In particular, locals also opted to visit various tourist destinations in outlying districts, such as Duong Lam Ancient Village (10,000 visitors) and Son Tay Ancient Citadel (5,000 visitors) in Son Tay District; Bat Trang, Duong Xa, and Phu Dong communes (40,000 visitors) in Gia Lam District; and Hong Van Trade Village (6,046 visitors) in Thuong Tin District.

Especially in Ba Vi District, the number of visitors to amusement parks and attractions has seen high growth, including Ao Vua Resort (17,250 visitors), Khoang Xanh - Suoi Tien Tourist Area (13,569 arrivals), and Ba Vi National Park (17,000 tourists).

Dang Huong Giang, Director of the city's Department of Tourism, said that many people chose to travel around the city and tourist attractions on the city's outskirts due to fear of crowds at distant tourist destinations.

Thay Temple in Quoc Oai District also attracts numerous visitors during the national holiday.

The Hanoi Department of Tourism will continue strengthening linkage and cooperation activities with key tourism provinces and cities in the northern region, Ho Chi Minh City, and southern provinces, the Central Highlands, to develop tourism initiatives and gain the target of 22 million visitors this year.

"There will also be a series of cooperation and promotion activities to attract international visitors from key markets, including Northeast Asia, France, European countries, the US, and India," Giang said.

This year, the city is expected to welcome about 22 million arrivals, up 17.6% against 2022, including 19 million domestic visitors, an increase of 10.5% compared to 2022.

Tourism revenue is estimated at VND77 trillion (US$3.26 billion), an annual rise of 28.2%. The average occupancy rate of accommodation establishments and hotels reached 45%, up 5% year-on-year.

In the first four months of 2023, the number of visitors to Hanoi increased by 74% year-on-year, reaching more than eight million tourists. Among the arrivals, international visitors were estimated at 1.44 million arrivals, up 18 times, while domestic visitors were estimated at 6.7 million, up 45.7%. Total revenue from tourists was estimated at VND30.15 trillion ($1.3 billion), up 2.2 times.