Ha Long city, the engine of Quang Ninh province’s tourism growth, will continue promoting Vietnam to a wider global audience. The World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay is now home to about 500 cruise vessels, 189 of them offer overnight accommodation.

Municipal authorities regularly inspect service quality at restaurants, lodging facilities, entertainment areas and shopping malls.

Last August, British travel magazine Rough Guides included Ha Long Bay in its selection of the 100 most beautiful places to visit in 2020. The magazine describes “the scattering of limestone pinnacles jutting out of the smooth waters of Ha Long Bay”, around four hours northeast of Hanoi, as an “incredible sight”.

Around 5.2 million foreigners visited Ha Long Bay in 2018, up 22 percent from a year ago, accounting for 30 percent of the 15.6 million foreign tourist arrivals to Vietnam./.VNA