A number of tourism events were held in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017, drawing crowds of visitors both at home and abroad.

Foreign tourists at the Nguyen Hue walking street, Ho Chi Minh City

The city organised 32 street music shows at weekend from May to mid-December last year, attracting nearly 5 million tourists.

The fourth Ao Dai (traditional long dress) festival 2017 attracted over 50,000 visitors. 

Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Bui Ta Hoang Vu said the southern hub will develop the festival into a cultural tourism festival, making it a unique tourism product of the city.

Meanwhile, the southern fruit festival, which lasted for three months, drew over 1.6 million tourists and sold over 400 tonnes of fruits.

A highlight of the event was a floating market where more than 40 boats sold 150 kinds of fruits such as guava, rambutan, durian, strawberry, custard apple, grapefruit and palm fruit, among others, at 20-30 percent off market prices. 

Various activities were held as part of the festival, including a contest on southern delicious and safe fruits, the Asia food festival and folk games. 

Apart from organising annual tourism events, the city also promoted sightseeing places such as the Independence Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the Cu Chi Tunnel Historical Complex, and the Bitexco Financial Tower.

In 2017, HCM City welcomed over 6.38 million international vacationers and raked in over 115.9 trillion VND in revenue.

In 2018, the city aims to greet 7.5 million foreign holidaymakers and gross 138 trillion VND in revenue.

To realise the goal, the city will develop meeting, incentive, conference and event (MICE) tourism, culinary tourism, medical tourism, and waterway tourism, Vu said.

He added that the city’s tourism sector will continue tapping North Asian market potential by simplifying administrative procedures and looking toward visa exemption for travellers from the market.

The southern metropolis will also seek tourism promotion opportunities via big international trade fairs in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, he noted.-VNA