Promoting Vietnamese cultural identity in Switzerland

A Vietnam with diverse beauty, from royal court music to majestic natural landscapes and sustainable tourism products, cultural exploration, and in-depth experiences was promoted in Geneva.

The program introducing Vietnam in Geneva, Switzerland on the evening of May 8 (local time) is continuing a series of tourism promotion activities in Europe.

The event is also a commitment and joint effort to strengthen tourism development cooperation between Vietnam and Switzerland - two countries with a long-standing friendly relationship and much potential to complement each other.

“In the context of the two countries celebrating the 54th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations (1971-2025) and the bilateral relationship being upgraded to the level of ‘Comprehensive Partnership’ in January 2025, this is a historic milestone, creating favorable conditions to expand and deepen cooperation in the tourism sector, which is an effective bridge between the people of the two countries, promoting understanding, empathy and attachment,” emphasized Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh.

Vietnam - ideal destination

Swiss tourists are known to be nature lovers, highly conscious of environmental protection, interested in local culture, and enjoy deep and valuable experiences. These characteristics are very suitable for the strengths of Vietnamese tourism - a destination rich in identity, ecological diversity, friendliness and increasingly professional.

Director Nguyen Trung Khanh assessed that the current tourism trend in Switzerland emphasizes sustainability, authentic experiences, and tourism that is responsible for the environment and local communities. This is also the direction that Vietnamese tourism is pursuing, creating many opportunities for cooperation, product development, and expansion of bilateral markets.

Representative of National Tourism Administration introduces an overview of Vietnam tourism. (Photo: National Tourism Administration)

Mr. Khanh believes that with the suitability of market characteristics and product strengths, Vietnamese tourism has full potential to become a favorite destination for Swiss tourists in their journey to explore the world , contributing to further promoting the good relationship between the two countries.

Notably, Vietnam's new visa policy is currently creating more favorable conditions than ever for Swiss tourists. According to the regulations effective from March 1 to December 31, 2025, Swiss citizens entering Vietnam under a tourism program of a Vietnamese international travel agency will be exempted from visas for up to 45 days. Not stopping there, the Vietnamese tourism industry is also actively proposing that citizens of this European country can travel to Vietnam on their own without a visa, meeting the flexible tourism trend of the international market.

Director Nguyen Trung Khanh said that the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) is currently funding the non-refundable ODA project “Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam” (ST4SD), implemented by HELVETAS from 2024 to 2027 in Dong Thap, Quang Nam and Ha Giang provinces.

Vietnam’s tourism industry leaders consider this project to be very practical, contributing to promoting sustainable tourism in localities with great potential but still facing many challenges. The focus on supporting policy implementation, improving training capacity and enhancing the operational efficiency of destinations and local businesses not only helps improve the quality of tourism, but also creates conditions for local people to benefit more from tourism, in line with the spirit of harmonious and inclusive development that Vietnam always aims for.

“In the coming time, Vietnam wishes to continue expanding cooperation with Switzerland in areas such as training high-quality tourism human resources, developing green tourism products, community tourism, as well as organizing events to promote Vietnamese tourism in Switzerland, in order to increase Vietnam's presence on the tourist map of Swiss tourists,” Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh expressed.

Hue royal cuisine introduced in Switzerland. (Photo: National Tourism Administration)

A space imbued with Vietnamese identity

At the program, a panoramic view of Vietnam with its diverse beauty was introduced to Swiss partners and tourists. It was the image of UNESCO-recognized world cultural heritages such as Ha Long Bay, Hoi An Ancient Town, Hue Monuments Complex with Royal Court Music, to majestic natural landscapes and unique tourism products, suitable for the tastes of Swiss tourists who love sustainable tourism, cultural exploration and in-depth experiences.

Destinations such as Sa Pa, Ha Giang, Trang An, Phu Quoc, or Son Doong Cave are expected to be attractive choices. In particular, the Hue City People's Committee introduced the Hue National Tourism Year 2025 with the theme "Ancient Capital, New Opportunities." Thereby, promoting the potential strengths, cultural heritage values, unique cuisine, and attractive products of the ancient capital to a large number of delegates, partners, and Swiss businesses.

The program also creates space for business connection activities between tourism companies and hotels of the two countries. Performances imbued with the cultural identity and unique cuisine of Vietnam such as the performance of Hue royal court music by artists of the Hue Traditional Arts Theater, the promotion of royal culinary art by Hue culinary artisans with dishes such as Cong spring rolls, Phuong spring rolls, inviting guests to exchange making spring rolls, tasting fried spring rolls and introducing the art of making lotus leaf hats also enrich the experience for attendees.

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Phung The Long, commented that for Swiss tourists, Vietnam is a safe and attractive destination. When coming to Vietnam, Swiss tourists can enjoy cool breezes, warm sunshine, beautiful beaches and fresh seafood.

The ancient, quiet beauty of An Dinh Palace, Thua Thien Hue. (Photo: Vuong Cong Nam/Vietnam+)

“Visitors can find peace in the ancient space of Hoi An Ancient Town or the poetic beauty of Hue Imperial City. At the same time, they can also feel the vibrancy and modernity of cities such as Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Wherever they go in Vietnam, visitors will always be welcomed with friendly smiles and warm hospitality of the Vietnamese people,” Ambassador Phung The Long emphasized./.

In 2024, Vietnam will welcome more than 33,600 Swiss visitors, a sharp increase compared to 28,000 in 2023 and approaching the pre-pandemic level in 2019 (more than 36,500). In the first 3 months of 2025, nearly 12,000 Swiss visitors traveled to Vietnam (an increase of more than 14% over the same period last year).

These are very positive numbers, demonstrating the strong recovery and sustainable development potential of the Swiss market for Vietnamese tourism.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/quang-ba-dam-net-ban-sac-van-hoa-viet-nam-tai-thuy-si-post1037511.vnp