Under the theme "Thang Long - Hanoi: Charming Capital", the 2024 Hanoi Tourism Festival offers visitors travel opportunities ahead of summer.

Held to coincide with Reunification Day (April 30) and Labor Day (May 1) holidays, the festival aims to create opportunities for the tourism sector to promote Hanoi's cultural heritage and attract international tourists to the capital.

Various discounted tours of Hanoi

Entrance to the 2024 Hanoi Tourism Festival. Photo: Le Hoi Du Lich Hanoi

Taking place at Thong Nhat Park on April 26-28, the 2024 Hanoi Tourism Festival features 150 booths and the participation of a large number of tourism companies. Rather than showcasing products, the focus is on promoting tours that have been upgraded and refreshed with various discounts.

According to the Hanoi Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center (HPA), travel agencies during the festival will offer 1,000 deals with discounts of up to 30%, focusing on tours that allow travelers to explore the city's natural and cultural beauty.

Nguyen Thi Van, General Director of Hanoitourist Travel Company, said they will give vouchers worth up to VND500,000 (US$20) to customers who book tours to domestic and overseas destinations at the Hanoi Tourism Festival 2024. In particular, a 10% discount will be offered on tours in Hanoi, such as night tours of the Temple of Literature - Imperial Academy, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, or Hoa Lo Prison.  

An art performance kicked off Hanoi Tourism Festival 2024 on April 26.

Similarly, Nguyen Anh Dung, Chairman of Thang Long GTC JSC, confirmed that the company has introduced the 'Joyful Bridge Spans' night tour at the festival and is offering up to 30% discount vouchers for the 'Impressive Red River' tour.

According to CEO Nguyen Cong Hoan, Flamingo Redtours is running a promotion called "Welcoming Brilliant Summer - Huge Discount Deals", where tourists booking its tours will receive discounts of up to VND4 million ($158), plus gifts from the tourism authorities of various countries.

In addition, Hanoi Unesco Travel Club's representative Nguyen Huu Cuong said that to stimulate tourism demand, the club's member companies participating in the festival will reduce their prices by 20-30% for all domestic tours departing from Hanoi as well as outbound tours to Southeast Asian and European countries departing from then until the end of 2024.

 HPA Deputy Director Bui Duy Quang said that the Hanoi Tourism Festival 2024 is an annual activity to pay tribute to Hanoi's cultural and historical values, to further promote Hanoi's landscapes, cultural heritage and people to provinces and cities nationwide, and to encourage tourists to choose the capital as a destination. 

Water puppet show at the tourism event in Hanoi.

Tourism helps promote heritage

Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is a land rich in cultural identity, leading the country in the number of relics with 5,922 listed relics, including 1 world cultural heritage site, 21 special national relics clusters, 1,160 national relics, and 1,456 city-level relics. However, at the seminar on 'Hanoi: Historical and Cultural Destination' organized by the HPA on April 25, experts agreed that Hanoi's cultural tourism products have yet to fully exploit its rich resources.

Visitors to the event experience drawing Hang Trong folk painting.

According to Pham Hong Long, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi), Hanoi's current tourism is still fragmented, with a few traditional sites in several central districts such as Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh or Dong Da. As a result, there are no systematic tours in Hanoi.

Phung Quang Thang, chairman of the Hanoi Travel Association, which has directly developed several cultural tourism products in Hanoi, said the tourism sector should take advantage of cultural heritage and prioritize the development of unique, attractive cultural tourism products that can appeal to tourists.

Le Hong Thai, Director of Hanoitourist Travel Company, suggested that the city should make better use of its natural and cultural strengths, such as Red River tourism, which is linked to historical relics and handicraft villages along the river. It should also develop more tourism products based on traditional arts, such as cai luong or cheo singing, and traditional handicraft villages linked to historical sites.