The efforts of travel firms and HCM City’s authorities have helped the local tourism sector maintain its growth trend despite declines in the number of tourist arrivals to Vietnam this year.
Tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City on pedicab (Image: Vietnamplus)
The efforts of travel firms and HCM City’s authorities have helped the local tourism sector maintain its growth trend despite declines in the number of tourist arrivals to Vietnam this year.
Local travel agencies have recently launched a wide range of new services that meet tourists’ tastes and win their favour, including a city tour by bike and another tour discovering Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal.
The city organised and planned to hold a number of promotion activities this year, including an Ao Dai (traditional long dress) festival in March, a southern food festival in May, a southern fruits festival in June, an international travel expo in September and an international delicious dishes festival in December.
In addition, promotion activities were also organised in Australia , Japan , the Republic of Korea , Russia , Eastern Europe and Indonesia .
HCM City is improving and standardising tourism service quality via a programme to select the city’s 100 interesting things, which aims to discover quality cultural values, cuisine and tourism services to be introduced to tourists.
Many tourism publications such as an English-language book on the city’s tourism and a city map. Besides, the website of the HCM City Department of Tourism and the call centre 1087 were established to help tourists explore the city.
Historic sites, old architecture, museums, festivals, traditional culture and flower villages are being renovated to ensure the city’s sustainable tourism growth. HCM City is also cooperating with eight provinces in the north to develop tourism.
HCM City boasts 144 natural and cultural heritages and tourist sites, and plays an important role in the country’s tourism development. It is now the largest tourism hub of the country, attracting 70 percent of the total tourist arrivals.
In 2014, the city welcomed 22 million tourists, including 4.4 million foreigners, earning more than 86 trillion VND (3.9 billion USD) in revenue.
In the first eight months of 2015, 2.83 million foreigners visited the city, a year-on-year increase of 5 percent. It earned over 60.7 trillion VND (2.76 billion USD) from tourism activities during the period, up 4 percent year-on-year.
The predicted figures for the whole year are 4.7 milli𒀰on and 94.6 trillion VND (4.21 billion USD). Most tourists visiting the city come from the United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, Australia, France and Singapore.-VNA
The Department of Tourism together with the Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City and the Saigon Boat JSC launched a boat tour on the Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe canal in the city on September 1.
A crowd of youth from travel agencies joined tourist support forces in Ho Chi Minh City at a ceremony in response to an action movement to build a friendly tourism environment in the city.
Ho Chi Minh City, the largest economic hub in the south, has great potential to become the leading destination of Meeting Incentive Conference Event (MICE) tourism in Southeast Asia, experts said.
Nearly 100 businesses, travel agencies and hotels joined a promotional programme in the central city of Da Nang from this month through next March, offering a 10-60 percent discount for their service.
The first and only direct service connecting the two countries at the moment is set to operate three times per week using the modern wide-body Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
Mu Cang Chai is home to nearly 83,000 hectares of forest, including almost 60,000 hectares of unspoiled natural woodland. Recognising this potential, local authorities have embraced a holistic strategy that protects biodiversity while promoting tourism.
Phu Quoc ranks among the top 10 leading tourist islands in Asia. As the largest island in Vietnam, it boasts stunning natural beauty, with expansive coral reefs resting beneath the sea and a number of beautiful, poetic beaches such as Sao, Truong, and Khem, known for their fine white sand and crystal-clear waters.
Vietnam's national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet are among the exhibitors, promoting key destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Phu Quoc, as well as distinctive tourism products.
Alexander Musikhin, Vice President of ATOR and CEO of the Intourist travel agency, highlighted Vietnam as a top destination offering a unique blend of beach holidays and cultural excursions.
According to Seoul’s Tourism Industry Department, approximately 20,000 Vietnamese visitors travel to the city each year for medical treatment. Vietnam consistently ranks among the top 10 countries with the highest number of medical tourists to Seoul.
An analysis of accommodation search data based on check-in dates for June and July revealed that Nha Trang surpassed all other destinations in popularity among Korean users.
The programme is organised by the Khanh Hoa provincial Youth Union and the “Khanh Hoa people speak English” Project, and aims to promote the culture, history, cuisine and other tourism products of Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa to international visitors.
VNAT Director General Nguyen Trung Khanh called visa a golden ticket to pulling in crowds, but he is clear that it needs coordinated efforts across multiple sectors to keep the momentum going in this fast-moving global travel scene.
As a tourism hub, Hanoi is now actively developing strategies to attract Muslim travellers. In recent years, the city has seen a notable uptick in visitors from countries with large Muslim populations.
When tourists witness firsthand the passion and care of farmers, they’re willing to pay higher prices because they see the genuine worth behind every product.
During the first five months, China continued to be Vietnam's largest source market of tourists, followed by the RoK, China’s Taiwan, the US, and Japan.
After more than three months of operation, the popularity of the free tours in Bac Ninh province shows no signs of cooling down. Many tourists return every week in hopes of experiencing all the tours and visiting every destination.
Typical products of Phu Tho are being showcased at the Lao Cai International Travel Mart 2025, held in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai from June 5-8.
Featuring 130 stalls and delegations from 120 travel agencies representing more than ten countries and territories, the event is expected to provide a platform for establishing partnerships and attracting more visitors to Lao Cai in the future.
Kicking off the festival on the evening of June 7 will be the grand music concert titled “Nha Trang Say Hi”, featuring popular artists from the trending show “Anh Trai Say Hi”. The event will be broadcast live nationwide and conclude with a fireworks display over Nha Trang Bay.
Data from Booking.com reveals that during the peak summer vacation in June and July, beach trips continue to be a top priority for Vietnamese travellers.
The northern midland province of Phu Tho has carried out all-round measures to improve tourism infrastructure, services, and offerings, elevating visitor experience and reinforcing the province’s unique cultural identity.
Hanoi has directed lodging providers and tourist destinations to bolster preparations in staffing, service quality, security, and sanitation. Community-based lodging platforms such as Airbnb are also being promoted strongly to expand housing supply during the holiday period.
Tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City on pedicab (Image: Vietnamplus)
