Historical tours explode, tourists to Ho Chi Minh City are more numerous than ever

Cu Chi Tunnels welcome 6,000-7,000 visitors every day

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism , the trend of choosing tours with late departures (on May 1-2) is increasing after the days when people welcomed activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification.

However, most visitors still choose to stay in the city and join inner-city tours, journeys back to the source, and explore historical sites.

Tours to visit red addresses such as Sac Forest Base, Cu Chi Tunnels, Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum, Saigon Special Forces Museum... have been crowded with visitors in the past few days, especially on May 1-2.

A corner of Do Phu Coffee Shop, which used to be the base of the Saigon Special Forces, is very popular these days. (Photo: P. Thao)

Ms. Dinh Phuong Thao in District 4 said that every year during the long holiday, her family would return to her hometown in Phan Thiet, but this year, her parents came from Phan Thiet to Ho Chi Minh City to attend the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification. Her family also decided to stay in the city for the next 4 days to visit historical sites.

On May 1st, the whole family of 9 watched the movie Tunnels - Sun in the Dark and toured around the center of Ho Chi Minh City, took the Metro to have fun in Thu Duc.

On May 2, the whole family visited the Saigon - Gia Dinh Special Forces Museum on Tran Quang Khai Street (District 1), and stopped by the Special Forces Cafe - which used to be the rear base of the Saigon Special Forces (Tan Dinh Ward - District 1).

“Visiting every corner of the restaurant, enjoying the familiar dishes and drinks of Ho Chi Minh City people such as broken rice and iced milk coffee, we felt the breath of old Saigon. The historical stories told through the relics made us appreciate and love the city more,” said Ms. Thao.

Cu Chi Tunnels these days also continuously welcomes groups of tourists coming to visit and return to their roots. Preliminary statistics in April show that each day the Cu Chi Tunnels relic site welcomes about 6,000 - 7,000 people.

Deputy Director of the Cu Chi Tunnels Historical Site, Mr. Nguyen Minh Tam, said that tourists are very interested in the tunnels during the April 30 holiday this year. The site has organized many new activities for visitors, including launching an overnight accommodation area this April.

Since April, many groups of tourists have visited the Sac Forest Base in Can Gio. (Photo: H.Linh)

Especially on the evening of May 1, the relic site organized an additional program called "Moon War Zone" at Cu Chi Tunnels, combined with a campfire exchange with the Stieng people, to enhance the nighttime experience of visitors.

According to statistics from Saigontourist , from April 28 to May 1, this business served a group of more than 1,500 tourists, especially veterans and delegates attending the important 50th anniversary of National Reunification in Ho Chi Minh City on April 30.

But not only during this peak season, since the beginning of April, Saigontourist has been busy welcoming many groups of veterans from all over the provinces to Ho Chi Minh City, most of them participating in tours to return to the old battlefields.

Mr. Tran Quang Duy - Director of Chim Canh Penguin Travel Service Joint Stock Company, also said that the company recorded a sudden increase in customers booking tours to explore and learn about the culture and history of Ho Chi Minh City in April. Particularly during the peak of the April 30 and May 1 holidays, this company specializing in tours to explore the culture and history of Ho Chi Minh City departs every day for tours to Saigon Special Forces, Cu Chi Tunnels, Sac Forest, and Dong Nai War Zone. There are days when the company takes nearly ten groups of customers on the trip. There are times when there are not enough tour guides to lead the groups.

Meanwhile, Vietluxtour said the company recorded a 50% increase in the number of visitors to Ho Chi Minh City, with a 25% increase in group and corporate visitors. Tours such as “Heroic Unification” and “Return to the Steel Land” were well received.

“On the occasion of April 30 this year, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed tens of thousands of people from all over the country to attend a series of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day.

Not only participating in the main events, many people also spent time visiting red addresses with strong historical imprints, including the Saigon Special Forces relic system, which preserves touching stories about the resilient fighting spirit of security forces in enemy territory," information from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism said.

In April, the Cu Chi Tunnels historical site welcomes 6,000-7,000 visitors every day. (Photo: Cu Chi Tunnels)

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in addition to popular tours, travel agencies also offer highly interactive products, such as the tour themed “Tunnel Exploration – Return to the Land of Steel”, where visitors can personally crawl into tunnels, eat rice balls, and wear soldier uniforms.

In addition, city tour packages combining activities of finding historical secrets following the imprint of old Saigon are very popular with young people. Retail tour groups (buying individual services such as air tickets, hotels, tour guides) have also increased sharply, meeting the needs of self-designed schedules of young groups or groups of guests traveling with families.

Hotels hit peak occupancy

According to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, from April 27 to May 1, room occupancy rates at 1-5 star hotels in the city center reached 95-100%. Many 4-5 star hotels were fully booked.

Hotels in the surrounding area also reached 80% occupancy or more, especially on the two peak days of April 30 and May 1, many places were "fully booked".

Almost never before has the city recorded such a large number of visitors at the same time as this occasion.

Hotels, shopping malls, and houses in Ho Chi Minh City are all brightly decorated, hanging red flags with yellow stars to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification. (Photo: Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism)

Hotels and restaurants have proactively organized many solemn and meaningful activities on this occasion, such as hanging national flags, hanging banners welcoming the Great Festival at the facade and lobby area, displaying propaganda images, and posting historical gratitude messages on online platforms.

Many hotels have set up areas to record feelings and arrange guestbooks for guests to write by hand, creating a quiet space where personal emotions are shared and spread.

In addition to iconic activities, some hotels also connect with local artisans to organize cultural experiences right on the premises, such as making figurines, writing calligraphy, or performing traditional musical instruments.

Some destinations also have free screenings of documentary films about Southern Liberation Day for guests in the evenings from April 28 to May 1.

Or arrange the check-in area with the background image of Independence Palace, Nha Rong Wharf or tank 390, which is loved by many tourists and widely shared on social networks.

The festive atmosphere is also spread thanks to the responsibility and emotion of the people of the City. From the traders, drivers, tour guides to the households in the central area, all show the spirit of hospitality, enthusiasm and pride in welcoming visitors to the City during the important holiday.

Ha Linh

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/tour-lich-su-bung-no-du-khach-den-tp-hcm-dong-chua-tung-co-ar941218.html