Hanoi (VNA) –Hanoi is working to expand its night-time economic activities to form a typicaleconomic sector that contributes to the capital city’s socio-economicdevelopment.

The city’s majornight-time hubs include streets in the Old Quarter such as Ta Hien, Luong NgocQuyen, Ma May, Hang Ngang, Hang Dao, Dong Xuan, Hang Bong and Hang Buom, wheretourists often gather for shopping, and culinary and entertainment activities. Thestreets become busier at weekends.

The pedestrian streetsaround Hoan Kiem Lake are also attractive to visitors. In the first three yearsof launching, the number of international visitors choosing to stay in Hoan Kiemdistrict rose 13-22.8 percent each year, contributing to raising State budgetcollection in the district.

This year, the city has opened two additional walking zones of Trinh Cong Sonstreet and Son Tay ancient fortress.

According toNguyen Dang Thao, Director of the Management Board of Duong Lam AncientVillage-Son Tay Ancient Fortress, each day, one pedestrian route of Son Tayfortress welcomes about 10,000 visitors and even 15,000 on peak days.

The Son Tay fortress was a military basebuilt in 1822 in the reign of King Minh Mang to protect Thang Long ImperialCitadel.

Night tours in Hanoi,including the “Decoding the Imperial Citadel of ThangLong” at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel and “Sacred Night - Glorious VietnameseSpirit” tour in Hoa Lo Prison have also made the citymore attractive at night.

As part of efforts topromote cultural values of the city, boost its tourism development, andincrease staying time and spending of tourists, Hanoi is designing a plan topilot the development of the night-time economy in Hoan Kiem district, focusing oncultural, culinary, entertainment and shopping services.

Meanwhile, the cityalso plans to form additional night-time pedestrianspaces around Ngoc Khanh lake and Dao Ngoc-Ngu Xa peninsula on Truc Bach lake.

Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Dang Huong Giang said that alongwith focusing on potential areas for the development of the night-time economy, thecity should clarify conditions for particular overnight services and issuespecific regulations in the field as well as measures to handle violations.

Earlier, the PrimeMinister approved a project to develop the night-time economy in Vietnam toallow some activities to run overnight until 6am of the next day in some majortourism cities and zones.

The projectaims to exploit the potential of the night-time economy in Vietnamto promote overall economic growth, improving incomes for residentswhile limiting risks and negative impacts on political security, social orderand safety.

Under the project,night-time activities would have expanded opening hours in some keytourism areas, including Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, HoiAn, Thua Thien-Hue, Can Tho, Da Lat and Phu Quoc.

After the pilotimplementation, the evaluation of the economic efficiency and management efficiencywould be carried out to develop an operating model for the night-time economyand bring it to other localities.

Specific night-timeactivities allowed under the plan were not disclosed.

Under the project,policies to encourage enterprises and business households to participate in thenight-time economy would be developed, including improving their capacity toaccess official financial sources, especially banking credit.

Tourism promotion fornight-time activities would be enhanced together with building night-timetourism products based on the cultural factors of each locality.

The PM also askedprovincial and municipal People’s Committees to study night-time economicmodels appropriate for their areas.

Both the negative andpositive impacts of night-time activities must be carefully studied, the PM said.

The PM also asked localities todevelop plans for areas to implement night-time activities in the future./.