During the first two days of the April 30 and May 1 holidays, many destinations across the country were packed with tourists . Ho Chi Minh City in particular was bustling with tourists about two weeks before the national celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025).
Boost from a series of events in Ho Chi Minh City
People and tourists from all over flocked to Ho Chi Minh City to join in a series of special events during the last days of historic April, creating a great influence on the city's tourism.
According to the reporter of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, many tourists from Hanoi , Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Da Nang, Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau... arrived in Ho Chi Minh City many days before the official parade and march took place on the morning of April 30. 3D Mapping art light shows at many famous cultural and historical sites; drone performances; preliminary and final rehearsals of the parade and march... all attracted the attention of people and tourists.
International tourists come to Ho Chi Minh City on the occasion of April 30 and May 1. Photo: HOANG TRIEU
"During my days in Ho Chi Minh City, wherever I went, I heard people talking and discussing the preliminary rehearsal, final rehearsal, and official celebration with joy" - Ms. Le Khanh Ngoc ( Binh Duong province) said.
A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism informed that many tourist attractions attract thousands of visitors every day during the April 30 holiday, such as the Ho Chi Minh Museum - Ho Chi Minh City Branch, Reunification Hall, War Remnants Museum, Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Relic Site... The tourism industry expects the 5-day holiday with the boost from a series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification to spread and stimulate the entertainment needs of people and tourists.
Along with Ho Chi Minh City, many tourist destinations across the country are also packed with visitors. Travel companies said they are "stretching" to serve visitors during the April 30 and May 1 holidays.
Ms. Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, Marketing Director of Vietravel Tourism Company, said that the company expects to serve more than 30,000 visitors this time. Previously, the company recorded a significant increase in demand for tour bookings since mid-March 2025. "In just a short time of opening for sale, the number of visitors registering for tours on the occasion of the April 30th holiday has increased by more than 20% compared to the same period last year. We expect to serve more than 30,000 visitors during this year's holiday," Ms. Khanh said.
The "golden" period for acceleration
Preliminary information from Sungroup shows that on the first day of the holiday, destinations in Sapa (Lao Cai), Ha Nam, Cat Ba (Hai Phong), Quang Ninh, Ba Na (Da Nang), Phu Quoc (Kien Giang) and Tay Ninh all welcomed a sharp increase in the number of visitors compared to the same period last year. For example, visitors to Sun World Cat Ba increased 3 times compared to last year, Sun World Fansipan Legend welcomed a 1.5 times increase in visitors compared to the same period...
At tourist areas and destinations, the image of tourists wearing red flags with yellow stars checking in creates a jubilant atmosphere on the country's big holiday. Mr. Nguyen Lam An, Director of Sun World Ba Na Hills Tourist Area, said that the red flags with yellow stars have been decorated brightly throughout the tourist area, while also bringing unique experiences of cuisine, music... to visitors coming here.
Tourists visit Da Lat Station (Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province) on May 1. Photo: TRUONG NGUYEN
"This is an opportunity to spread to international friends the national pride of the Vietnamese people, bringing visitors impressive experiences during the great national festival" - Mr. An excitedly said.
According to Vinpearl Joint Stock Company (Vingroup), in the first quarter of 2025, Vinpearl's facilities continue to be the top choice of tourists. By the end of the first quarter, the number of guests staying at Vinpearl hotels increased by 18% over the same period; visitors to VinWonders reached nearly 1.6 million, up 29% over last year. Target markets all recorded positive growth, especially markets that are being focused on expansion such as the US, Europe, the Middle East, India, etc.
According to the National Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), summer 2025 is the "golden" period for Vietnam's tourism industry to accelerate. The trend of inter-regional air and road travel has also recorded remarkable growth, especially in the Central Highlands, Northeast, and southern island regions.
With many positive signals, experts believe that Vietnam's goal of welcoming 22-23 million international visitors and serving 120-130 million domestic visitors this year is achievable. The tourism industry has continuously innovated, diversified, and upgraded its products to meet the increasing demands of international visitors.
Affirming position on the tourist map
According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VH-TT-DL), after a difficult period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry is recovering strongly with the number of international visitors increasing again. In the first 3 months of this year, Vietnam welcomed more than 6.1 million international visitors, an increase of nearly 30% over the same period last year and an increase of about 34% over the same period in 2019 - the time before the pandemic.
To continue to open the door to international visitors, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security to propose a short-term visa exemption policy for citizens of potential markets, focusing on ASEAN, Northeast Asia, Asia, Western Europe, North America, etc. In the long term, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recommends that the Government expand the list of unilateral and bilateral visa exemptions for key markets, potential markets and countries with traditional and friendly relations with Vietnam.
Ms. Dong Ngoc Anh, Deputy General Director of Sun Group, commented that thanks to increasingly synchronous and classy infrastructure investment, many destinations in Vietnam have affirmed their position on the world tourism map. However, Vietnam's visa policy is still a major barrier, a "bottleneck" that hinders the breakthrough of this key economic sector, limiting the ability to promote the effectiveness of Vietnam's tourism.
"To solve this problem, there needs to be a breakthrough in expanding the list of visa-free countries. The top priority is large source markets with high growth potential and good spending levels such as the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and the remaining countries in the European Union... In addition, some potential markets in the Middle East such as the UAE and Qatar can be considered..." - Ms. Anh suggested.
Strengthening supervision of business and service activities
On May 1, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Thanh, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau province, informed that the inspection and supervision of cultural and tourism service business activities in the area had been strengthened on the occasion of the April 30 holiday. Through inspection, tourist attractions, entertainment areas and places have done a good job of publicly posting prices and selling at the correct listed prices. Security, order, food safety and hygiene, fire prevention and fighting... have been ensured.
According to preliminary statistics, the number of visitors and entertainment visitors in Ca Mau province as of 11:00 a.m. on May 1 was 69,687, an increase of 28.6% compared to last year.
In Da Lat City (Lam Dong Province), in the first 2 days of the holiday, the number of visitors increased slightly, and there was no overload. Traffic on routes such as Prenn Pass, 4/4 (from the bus station to the center of Da Lat City), Tran Quoc Toan, Phan Dinh Phung... remained smooth and stable despite the increase in the number of vehicles compared to normal days. Visitors gathered at some famous tourist destinations such as Da Lat Railway Station, Da Lat Night Market, City Flower Garden, Lam Vien Square, Xuan Huong Lake, Valley of Love...
According to the leader of the Department of Culture - Science and Information under the People's Committee of Da Lat City, preliminary statistics show that the number of domestic and international visitors booking rooms before the April 30 and May 1 holidays this year reached about 70%. As of the morning of May 1, some hotels in the center of Da Lat City still had vacant room signs, but it is predicted that from the afternoon of May 1, the number of visitors will gradually increase, mainly from Ho Chi Minh City and the Southeast provinces after the end of the series of programs celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day.
V.Du - Tr.Nguyen
Source: https://nld.com.vn/du-lich-bung-no-dip-le-30-4-196250501225250605.htm
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