Hanoi tourism is on the rise

Hanoi has many new tourism products

Although it has only entered its third year, the Hanoi Tourism Festival is gradually affirming its position as a professionally invested fair; a true festival for travel lovers. Before the festival, we were informed by Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Anh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion: “With the theme “Connecting heritage to develop tourism”, the Hanoi Tourism Festival 2023 will introduce many attractive tourist destinations of the capital in both inner and outer city areas such as: Hanoi Old Quarter, Ba Vi, Soc Son, Duong Lam (Son Tay), Dong Anh, Gia Lam... Among them are many newly built or renewed tour products”.

With that spirit, travel agencies have launched many completely new products. For the first time, the hands-on experience tour connecting the heritage of Thang Long Imperial Citadel - Vinh Nghiem Pagoda - Tay Yen Tu and Co Loa Citadel tourism has really attracted tourists with practical experiences such as hand-printing woodblocks, climbing mountains, making earth arrows... In a costume simulating the royal palace, Ms. To Hai Ha, an officer of the Guide and Interpretation Department, Thang Long - Hanoi Heritage Conservation Center said: "For the first time launching this tour, through comparisons between the prosperous imperial citadel and the sacred forests, we want to help visitors visualize more clearly the life of Buddha King Tran Nhan Tong, as well as his heart when he gave up the palace and prosperity to go to the mountains to practice and save all living beings". Meanwhile, Director of Hanoitourist Travel Company Le Hong Thai shared: "The unit has coordinated with the Management Board of Hoan Kiem Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter to implement a school tour in the Old Quarter; a tour to explore Hanoi's ancient music, heritage sites... launched right on the occasion of the festival".

In addition to new tours and routes, many tours have also been renewed to suit the needs of tourists after the Covid-19 pandemic. At the fair, Vietravel Tourism Company introduced more than 30 renewed travel itineraries, Flamingo Redtours launched international, domestic and golden holiday tour packages in its system... Mr. Nguyen Cong Hoan, General Director of Flamingo Redtours expressed: “No longer is the monopoly of domestic tourism products like in 2022, the return of all international tour routes once again affirms that tourism has fully recovered. Discounts are no longer the top attractive factor, but more importantly, products have depth and are highly personalized. Therefore, in addition to traditional tours, Flamingo Redtours also focuses on introducing new product packages that are expected to take the throne in 2023: Diverse itineraries from road to air; rich and novel experiences... All with the desire to bring sublime journeys full of emotions to tourists".

Create opportunities for tourists to learn more about Hanoi culture

It can be said that the most obvious change in Hanoi's tourism thinking is the way of doing things. Notably, a series of exciting programs have been organized, such as the event "Unesco Travel Fest 2023-Together Again" with the participation of nearly 1,000 tourism businesses nationwide with connection activities; the discussion "Issues that need to be overcome and solutions after Covid-19"; destination surveys... Hanoi tourism also gives visitors the opportunity to learn more about authentic products with experiences at the festival in the spirit of "tourism development must be associated with culture, heritage, national historical traditions, environmental protection and natural landscapes" as emphasized by Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen.

The festival introduces the space of the trade beer stall, like a ticket on the memory train, an opportunity for attendees and visitors to learn about Hanoi draft beer during the subsidy period. Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Anh said: “Hanoi people are addicted to draft beer, but not really addicted to beer, but addicted to the atmosphere with friends, colleagues, relatives gathering in line to buy beer every afternoon, drinking a cold glass of beer after a tiring day of work, nibbling on some fragrant roasted peanuts or crispy rice paper and telling countless stories about heaven and earth. The difficulties and hardships in life are temporarily put aside, enjoying a refreshing spirit with a glass of foamy beer. It's just that simple, but this is the memory of many people, many generations still want to experience it again. The space aims to introduce beer as a cultural feature that has been associated with the people of the capital for many years, not encouraging the sale and consumption of a lot of beer at the festival but with the slogan "Drink beer, alcohol, don't drive" or "Drink beer responsibly".

Similarly, the event of recreating Hanoi weddings in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century with the advice of Hanoi scholars, elderly people living in the Old Quarter, also brought people and tourists to the capital an interesting experience. “Learning about the life of Hanoi in the past is always an exciting cultural experience. I learned that the popular weddings of Hanoi people in the period when the country was just unified had quite a mix of old and new, with some sophistication of previous cultural customs left behind with 9 wedding gifts but also “updated” with tables and chairs covered with peacock fabric, international music... Those things helped me visualize more clearly the life of Hanoi people at that time, as well as understand more about the capital today”, said Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoc, a tourist from Bac Giang.

Article and photos: PHUC LINH

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