VietNamNet Bridge – Some of the nation’s most popular places of interest reported a marked rise in the number of foreign visitors over the Tet holidays.

Foreign visitors visit Ngoc Son Temple in the capital city’s Hoan Kiem District during the Tet holiday. About 27,000 foreign visitors arrived in Ha Noi during the first three days of the Year of the Snake.

The historic Ba Dinh Square received crowds of visitors from all corners of the country and abroad as people flocked to visit the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh.

According to the site’s management board, nearly 29,000 people, including more than 9,700 foreigners, visited the mausoleum on the first four days of Tet.

Thang Long Imperial Citadel in Ha Noi welcomed close to 20,000 visitors, mostly foreigners, over the same period.

Nguyen Van Son, Director of the Ha Noi-Thang Long Heritage Conservation Centre, said that the numerous cultural activities organised by the site had proved popular during the first days of the Lunar New Year, especially an exhibition showcasing ornamental plants and spring flowers.

Also successful was the opening to the public of a newly-excavated archaeological site located behind the Doan Mon southern gate. Son said that visitors can admire remnants of buildings and a water supply system dating from the time of the Ly dynasty.

The central city of Da Nang welcomed 1,500 foreign tourists during the first five days of the holiday, signalling a promising outlook for its tourism sector.

The cruise ship Gemini was the first tourist vessel to dock at Tien Sa port in the Year of the Snake. Its passengers, mainly from China, toured Da Nang and nearby Hoi An.

According to the Saigontourist travel service company, as many as 47 cruise ships with 42,000 tourists aboard will dock at Tien Sa port in the first quarter of this year, up 31 per cent from last year.

On February 10, an Air Asia flight carrying 152 passengers safely landed at Da Nang international airport to become the first arrival of the year.

The airport subsequently welcomed over 4,000 visitors on 40 domestic and international flights during the first five days. The number of foreign tourists is expected to grow by nearly 20 percent this year thanks to more direct flights linking the city with Russia, Macao and China.

Many passenger buses travelling between Da Nang and Laos, along with other destinations nationwide, resumed operations on February 11.

According to a report from Lao Cai Province, over 7,000 foreign tourists, mostly Chinese, entered Viet Nam through the Lao Cai International Border Gate during the first seven days of the Lunar New Year.

Tran Vu Hoang, chief of the customs office at the border, said a large number of Chinese families chose to visit Viet Nam over Tet.

The province, home to Sa Pa, expects to receive one million tourists this year.

The southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, which boasts popular beaches and hot temperatures, also welcomed a 10 per cent year-on-year increase of tourists during the nine-day holiday.

Among the visitors, many came from countries experiencing chilly weather, including Russia, South Korea and Japan.

Source: VNS