Hundreds of thousands of local and international tourists flocked to renowned tourism sites across the country during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, which fell on February 19.

Ho Chi Minh City travel firms served more than 58,000 tourists during Tet, an increase of 39 percent over the previous Tet, bringing total revenue of 540 billion VND (25.32 million USD) or 50-percent surge, according to the city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

In the stunning mountain resort town of Sa Pa, northern Lao Cai province, 50,000 visitors enjoyed the cool and refreshing atmosphere and unique Tet celebrations of ethnic minorities.

During the occasion, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue received some 75,000 travellers, including 40,000 international visitors, an annual increase of 25 percent.

During the first three days of the Lunar New Year, the Hue relic site welcomed more than 30,000 arrivals, a third of which were foreigners, and presented various traditional ceremonies, games, and art performances, said Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Star Pride cruise operated by Destination Asia Vietnam Company, carrying 190 international visitors, arrived at Tien Sa Port in the central city of Da Nang.

Another flight from Seoul carrying 180 foreign tourists arrived at Da Nang International Airport on the same day.

The number of foreign visitors to Da Nang reached 66,000 out of 200,000 tourists to the city during Tet.

Ba Na Hills Mountain Resort, Son Tra Resort and Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountain) are among the most popular destinations in the city.

Due to a long holiday this year, tourists also visited other tourist sites in Da Lat in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, Nha Trang in the central province of Khanh Hoa and Phan Thiet in the central province of Binh Thuan.

Khanh Hoa welcomed an estimated 150,000 tourists during the first six days of the Lunar New Year. Most tourists preferred sightseeing and island tours off Nha Trang Bay.

Also, seven chartered flights, carrying nearly 1,000 Chinese tourists from Kunming in China, arrived in Nha Trang during Tet.

Most of the foreign tourists were from the Republic of Korea, China and India.

Phong Nha-Ke Bang greets over 15,000 tourists on New Year days

Over 15,000 holiday-makers visited the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh during the first five days of the Year of the Goat (February 19-23), up over 10 percent against the same period last year.

Phong Nha and Tien Son caves were the most attractive destinations in the park, drawing nearly 8,900 visitors.

Le Thanh Loi, Director of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang Tourism Centre, said his agency offered a 10 percent discount on food and services at the centre’s restaurants, while adding traditional dishes to restaurant’s menu during the holiday.

During the occasion, historical and spiritual tourist sites in the province such as Than Dinh Mountain, Tam Co cave, Lieu Hanh princess temple also attracted a large number of tourists.

Established in 2001, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is among the 238 most important ecological zones in the world. It was recognised by the UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site on geological and geomorphologic criteria in 2003.

Recently, the Vietnam Records Organisation listed four tourism sites in Quang Binh amongst the top 50 must-see travel destinations in Vietnam, including Phong Nha Cave, Ngang Pass, Nhat Le Beach and Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

With the opening of Son Doong Cave in 2013, Quang Binh was instantly catapulted onto the bucket lists of travellers all over the world.

The New York Times named Quang Binh as one of the most attractive destinations in Asia and ranked it eighth out of the world’s 52 must-see sites for 2014, while US magazine Business Insider included Son Doong Cave in its list of the 12 most impressive caves.

Thousands of visitors to Dong Van Karst Plateau Geo-Park during Tet

Nearly 5,500 domestic and foreign holiday-makers made visits to Dong Van Karst Plateau Geo-Park in the northern province of Ha Giang during the nine-day lunar New Year (Tet) festival, generating over 5.5 billion VND (235,000 USD) for the tourism sector.

Dong Van plateau was recognised as a member of the Global Network of National Geoparks in 2010, becoming Vietnam’s first geological park and the second in Southeast Asia. Four years after the recognition, big changes have been made to the appearance of four districts in the plateau in particular and Ha Giang province in general.

About 1,600 metres above sea level, the plateau covers a total area of 2,356 km2, stretching across Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac districts. It is 80 percent limestone and contains the fossils of thousands of species of prehistoric creatures from 400-600 million years ago.

Visitors to the plateau are not only impressed by the stunning view but also have a chance to enrich their knowledge about traditional customs and culture of 17 different ethnic groups living in the area.

Thanks to its unique features, the number of vacationers to Dong Van plateau more than doubled to 650,000 visitors in 2014 from 300,000 people in 2010.

In a bid to improve services for tourists, local authorities have organised numerous cultural activities while increasing the monitoring of hotels and other service providers, and ensuring security and safety in the locality.

Tourist enterprises also implemented many promotion activities to lure the attention of domestic and foreign visitors to the site.

In recent years, Ha Giang province has worked hard to attract investment to the plateau, contributing to popularise its image globally and build a brand name for the provincial tourism sector.

Tourists to Da Nang rise 10 percent during Tet

The central city of Da Nang received nearly 200,000 tourists, including 76,000 foreign visitors, during the 9-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

The figures, released by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, represent a 10 percent increase from the same period last year.

Ba Na Hills Mountain Resort, one of the most popular destinations in the city, welcomed the biggest number of tourists with around 32,000 visitors, followed by Son Tra Peninsula and Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountain).

Travel agencies, such as Vitours and Saigontourist, offered special deals to attract travellers during the holiday, notably with a series of tours within the city and to central Vietnam as well as Singapore, Thailand, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Many traditional cuisine events and concerts to welcome the New Year were also organised by local 4-5 star hotels and resorts while many 2-star hotels offered 20-50 percent discounts on room rates.

Hue city welcomes thousands of visitors

 Hue received about 75,000 visitors during the Tet holiday, thanks to its attractive heritage monuments and Tet (Lunar New Year) traditions.

A report by the local department of culture, sports and tourism said that an increasing number of tourists booked tour programmes in the city from February 16 to 23. The rate of hotel occupancy was also high, with 90 per cent in several hotels.

The department expects more visitors to arrive in the former royal capital city, as several traditional festivals and games will take place in the first month of the lunar year.

During the first three days of the lunar year, thousands of visitors flocked to the Imperial Citadel. Every year, the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre allows free entry to the monuments during this period.

Le Phuong Anh, a local resident, said that she took the opportunity to visit the site with her children after a busy year of work.

Foreign visitors enjoyed royal games that were once played by emperors and the royal family. Performances of nha nhac (Hue royal court music), unicorn dances and martial arts also entertained visitors and allowed them to take a closer look at the Vietnamese Tet festival.

VNA