Great potential to promote France - Vietnam tourism

Performing Hue royal court music at the Program. Photo: Anh Dung/VNA reporter in France

The program is part of a series of events chaired by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with the People's Committee of Hue City, the Tourism Development Support Fund, Vietnam Airlines and partners to introduce tourism, craft villages, Vietnamese cuisine, and connect European and Vietnamese businesses on the occasion of the National Tourism Year - Hue in Milan (Italy), Geneva (Switzerland) and Paris (France) from May 4 to 13, 2025.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh - Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism - affirmed that the program to introduce Vietnamese tourism in France has a special meaning, a vivid symbol of the connection between the two countries with a long history of friendship and cooperation for more than half a century. The two countries have celebrated the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations (1973 - 2023), 10 years of Strategic Partnership and have just upgraded the relationship to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership after the visit to France by General Secretary and President To Lam in 2024.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, tourism cooperation between the two countries has a history of more than 2 decades with many important documents such as the Tourism Cooperation Agreement in 1996, the Implementation Protocol in 2005 and the Letter of Intent on tourism cooperation in 2018... The two sides have coordinated to organize many tourism promotion events, exchange and share experiences in developing tourism products and services. The Vietnamese Government always creates favorable conditions for tourism by unilaterally extending visa exemption for French tourists from 15 days (2015) to 45 days (from August 15, 2023).

Air connectivity between the two countries is also growing with regular direct flights organized by Vietnam Airlines. Thanks to that, France has continuously been a key market for Vietnamese tourism. Last year alone, Vietnam welcomed nearly 279,000 French visitors, a 97% recovery compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first 3 months of this year alone, the number of French visitors to Vietnam reached more than 102,000, an increase of more than 28% over the same period last year and a positive signal showing great potential in promoting tourism between the two countries.

Artists introduce Hue royal cuisine at the program. Photo: Anh Dung/VNA reporter in France

In an interview with a VNA correspondent in Paris, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh happily shared: "The program to promote Vietnamese tourism in Europe is one of the important activities in 2025 of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Government has also issued Resolution No. 25 on assigning targets to ministries, sectors and localities to promote the country's economic development in 2025. In particular, the tourism industry is one of the pillar sectors, this year is assigned to welcome 22-23 million international tourists and 120-130 million domestic tourists with total revenue of about 1 million billion VND. This is one of the extremely important tasks in 2025 and the current context shows that these tasks are completely achievable."

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang affirmed that the event is not only a simple tourism promotion activity, but also within the framework of implementing the plan to promote Vietnamese tourism in 2025. The fact that Paris is one of the important destinations in the series of events demonstrates Vietnam's respect for the potential French tourism market. According to the Ambassador, the number of 279,000 French visitors to Vietnam in 2024 alone is a testament to the attractiveness of the S-shaped land. In the context of the global tourism industry recovering strongly after the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a golden time for Vietnam to promote tourism, not only for the purpose of economic development but also to enhance cultural exchange and strengthen friendship between countries.

Introducing Vietnamese spring rolls and phoenix rolls at the program. Photo: Anh Dung/VNA reporter in France

In order for the Vietnamese tourism industry to achieve such outstanding results, there must be smooth coordination between state management agencies, organizations and businesses in the tourism sector.

Ms. Hoang Kim Anh - Director of the Tourism Development Support Fund, a member of the event's Organizing Committee - emphasized: "This tourism promotion event in Europe is the combined strength of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the Tourism Development Support Fund, provinces and cities and businesses that have acted as a bridge for development, providing support to be able to... achieve the set goals. Today's event is a testament to the state's preparation and investment in the tourism industry, a key industry, and tourism development and promotion will be increasingly developed and enhanced more strongly."

Also a sponsor of the Vietnam Tourism Promotion Program in France, Mr. Nguyen Tien Hoang - Chief Representative of Vietnam Airlines in France and Europe - said that the airline has been continuing to strengthen its flights to and from destinations in Europe with direct flights to France, Germany, Italy and the UK, and is researching to bring new products to new destinations in Europe such as Denmark in 2026. Mr. Hoang affirmed that this is one of the strong commitments of Vietnam's national airline as the leading carrier connecting Vietnam tourism with destinations around the world, especially in Europe.

Along with colorful and attractive performances of Hue royal court music, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh - Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee, representing the leaders of Hue city - introduced tourism, craft villages, and cuisine of the ancient capital to attract and connect businesses, promote the development of heritage tourism on the occasion of the National Tourism Year - Hue 2025. In addition, there were practical activities introducing Royal cuisine, introducing traditional craft villages (Thanh Tien paper flowers and lotus leaf hats)... with the direct presence of artisans and products brought from Vietnam, attracting special attention from travel businesses as well as French tourists.

Travel businesses exchange and meet at the Program. Photo: Anh Dung/VNA reporter in France

Also attending this tourism promotion program, Ms. Le Y Linh, Director of the European Office of Viettravel and President of the Association for the Promotion of Vietnamese Culture and Tourism in Europe, commented that the program plays an important role in promoting Vietnam's competitiveness as well as increasing new customer segments.

Sharing the same view, Ms. Yulia Santalova, Production and Sales Director in France and Switzerland of the travel company Discovery Trains, said that the program is a good bridge for parties to meet partners to collaborate and exchange about different tourism products.

The Vietnam tourism promotion program in France is expected to last until May 13. Within the framework of the program, a series of activities will be implemented such as meetings with tourism businesses from other countries; introducing typical products of Hue tourism, Ao Dai fashion show, programs introducing Vietnam destinations in general and some outstanding destinations, products and services in particular. French tourism businesses and tourists have had the opportunity to enjoy some typical Vietnamese dishes such as Nem Cong Cha Phuong, Bun Bo Hue, Com Sen, Longan Long Hoa Sen, Vietnamese coffee and tea; at the same time, participating in valuable prizes sponsored by Vietnam Airlines and participating units such as round-trip air tickets from Europe to Vietnam, luxury tours, hotel vouchers, etc.

According to Baotintuc.vn

Source: https://baohoabinh.com.vn/276/201033/Tiem-nang-lon-thuc-day-du-lich-Phap-Viet.htm