
Seoul (VNA) – Vietnamese tourism was introducedto nearly 100 representatives of travel firms, hotels, aviation companies andmedia of the Republic of Korea (RoK) at a workshop in Gwangju city – one of thebiggest economic, cultural and education hubs of the RoK – on October 10.
The Vietnamese side highlighted the achievementsin tourism promotion between the two countries, along with cooperationprospects in the future.
Nguyen Trung Khanh, head of the Department forInternational Cooperation of the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism (MCST), said people-to-people exchange between Vietnam and the RoK datedback nearly 900 years when princes of the Ly Dynasty in Vietnam arrived in theKorean Peninsula to settle down, and their descendants have always acted as abridge linking the two nations’ cooperation and friendship.
With time-tested connections, similarities inhistory and culture, complementary economies, and joint efforts by the twocountries’ governments and people, bilateral relations have witnessedconsiderable attainments in various spheres, he added.
The workshop was an occasion for Vietnam tointroduce its tourism products, attractive destinations and tourism investmentchances to businesses and media of Gwangju.
At the event, Vietnamese Tourism Ambassador tothe RoK Ly Xuong Can (Lee Chang-kun), who is a descendant of the Ly Dynasty,delivered a speech about Vietnam’s tourism. Budget carrier Vietjet Air alsopresented the flights linking the two countries.
This is the 10th year the MCST has organisedevents to promote Vietnam’s culture and tourism in Gwangju.
Also on October 10, the MCST delegation, led byNguyen Trung Khanh, had a meeting with Chairman of the Gwangju MetropolitanCouncil Kim Dong-chan.
Kim said the RoK always considers the SoutheastAsian nation a good friend and an important market.
He affirmed that the Gwangju administration willgive the best possible conditions for Vietnam’s cultural, sports and tourismactivities, as well as the 15,000 Vietnamese people living in the city.
Over the past years, the RoK has continuallybeen one of the three biggest sources of foreign tourists to Vietnam,surpassing 2.5 million in the first nine months of 2018. The number ofVietnamese visiting the RoK has also been on the rise, reaching over 350,000 in2017.-VNA
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