Hanoi strives to attract Indian tourists

THE HANOI TIMES — Located in a prime position at the 2025 ITB India that is now taking place in Mumbai (September 2-4), the Hanoi booth has drawn significant attention from attendees as featuring iconic models such as the Literary Pavilion of the Temple of Literature and the Thang Long Bridge with its distinctive Hanoi architecture.

During the first two days of the event, Hanoi’s booth attracted many visitors and travel businesses interested in discovering more about the Vietnamese capital, a city with over a thousand years of rich cultural heritage.

According to Tran Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of the  Hanoi Department of Tourism , India is viewed as a promising market with high tourism spending. “Participating in ITB India is a valuable opportunity for Hanoi to enhance its tourism brand as the ‘Capital of Heritage and Creativity’ - a leading regional destination for Indian travelers,” he shared.

Impressive “Hanoi - Come to Love” booth

The 2025 ITB India is now taking place at the Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai, India’s most dynamic metropolis, home to over 26 million people.

Hanoi represents at the fair with a 54-sq.m booth, designed to reflect the unique cultural identity of the capital, under the theme “Hanoi - Come to Love.”

The exhibition space showcases a wide array of signature tourism offerings, including cultural heritage, traditional cuisine, craft villages, MICE tourism, high-end resort services,  night tourism , and regional tour packages.

The booth also captivated attendees through promotional videos, bilingual publications, and live presentations on key Hanoi destinations. Notably, B2B networking activities between Hanoi-based tourism enterprises and Indian partners have fostered promising avenues for collaboration.

Accompanying the Hanoi Department of Tourism at ITB India are Vietjet Air and 15 major hotels and travel agencies based in the capital. These organizations are presenting a diverse selection of products and services tailored to the preferences of Indian travelers.

According to Le Quang Bien, Consul General of Vietnam in Mumbai, the Hanoi tourism sector has actively and creatively promoted the capital’s image to the Indian market.

“This marks a significant step forward in the international integration of Vietnam’s localities, contributing to the expansion of tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges,” he affirmed.

Such efforts not only facilitate knowledge exchange in tourism management and product development but also broaden promotional channels and partnerships, bringing Hanoi’s tourism brand closer to strategic markets like India.

Le Xuan Son, Director of Authentic Asia Travel Company Limited, shared: “At the fair, we had the opportunity to meet and engage directly with numerous service providers and local partners keen on cooperating with Vietnam.”

“This is truly an important opportunity for businesses to expand into the promising Indian market. We hope to see tangible outcomes from this trip that will contribute to the growth of Hanoi’s tourism sector and Vietnamese tourism as a whole.”

Immediately after the fair concludes, the Hanoi delegation will continue its promotional efforts by participating in the Vietnam Tourism Introduction Program in Bengaluru from September 5 to 6.

A promising market for Hanoi tourism

India is currently one of the most promising international tourist markets, showing strong interest in cultural tourism, premium resorts, and MICE travel- key strengths of Hanoi.

According to Tran Trung Hieu, Hanoi’s participation in ITB India and the promotional event in Bengaluru represents a strategic move to strengthen its tourism brand as the “Capital of Heritage and Creativity” and position itself as a top destination for Indian travelers.

Last year, a group of 4,500 Indian tourists visited Vietnam through a MICE program, with Hanoi as the first stop on their journey, setting a notable milestone in tourism exchange between the two countries.

“The capital has introduced policies and services tailored to the needs of Muslim travelers, with particular attention to Indian visitors, recognizing this as one of the fastest-growing segments in global tourism,” Hieu said.

“We view the development of halal tourism as a strategic opportunity to expand our market, diversify tourism products, and elevate Hanoi’s global competitiveness. The department will work closely with relevant sectors to attract investment in halal infrastructure and improve service quality,” he added.

The Ministry of Finance's statistics showed that Vietnam welcomed over 6 million international arrivals in the first quarter of 2025, up 29.6% year-on-year. Of this number, more than 143,000 were Indian visitors, marking continued double-digit growth compared to the same period last year.

Convenient air connectivity between major Indian cities and Vietnam is another key factor driving tourism demand. Currently, there are approximately 56 direct flights per week between the two countries.

With thoughtful planning and a strategic approach, Hanoi is well-positioned to welcome and captivate the Indian travel market as one of the most promising source markets for Vietnamese tourism in this new era.

Tourism promotion efforts such as these will also contribute to Hanoi’s ambitious target of receiving over 31 million visitors in 2025, including more than 7.5 million international tourists.