Visiting relics of Thang Long Imperial Citadel and Temple of Literature, and enjoying grilled pork rice noodles (bun cha), a special dish of Hanoi, made a great impression on Chinese tourist groups in Hanoi these days.

A tourist group from China visits Hanoi in recent days. Photos: VNA

Since March 16, a group of 42 Chinese tourists visited Hanoi, among the 124 Chinese tourists who entered Vietnam through Huu Nghi Border Gate in the northern province of Lang Son the day before, marking the return of Chinese travelers after a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They visited many must-see places, such as the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake, and St. Joseph Cathedral.

A Chinese tourist told The Hanoi Times that she and her friends choose Vietnam because the country has many beautiful landscapes and friendly people.

"Many destinations in Vietnam, including Ha Long, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Dalat, and Phu Quoc are very beautiful. We choose Vietnam to travel because of its delicious food, friendly people, and beautiful scenery," she said.

Hanoi's bun cha is a favorite food of Chinese tourists.

In addition to the city's must-see attractions, other tourist sites in Vietnam's cities and provinces are also attracting Chinese tourists.

On March 19, Vietnam Global International Travel Group Joint Stock Company welcomed a group of 46 Chinese guests. Nguyen Thi Hai Nam, deputy general director of the tour operator, said these tourists will enjoy 4- to 5-star services for six days in Ho Chi Minh City, My Tho - a land of typical river culture in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, and Mui Ne - a popular beach paradise in Vietnam.

In April, the company plans to welcome more delegations from China to Hanoi and they will experience golf courses in the north, Nam added.

Another tour operator, BT Tour Company, hosted a group of 16 Chinese guests at Tan Son Nhat Airport on March 16. Le Hong Tu, Director of the tour operator, said that the delegation will stay in Vietnam for eight days and enjoy 4-5-star services. They plan to visit and experience tourism services in Dalat, Nha Trang, Mui Ne, and Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition to the travel business, Vietnamese air carriers plan to tap the Chinese market, such as increasing the number of charter flights from China to Cam Ranh (southern province of Khanh Hoa) to 20 by the end of March and maintaining a direct flight route between Hanoi and Tianjin.

A representative of Vietravel Airlines said that together with Vietravel, they have signed agreements with partners to operate charter flights from Vietnam to China and vice versa. Vietravel Airlines will focus on routes connecting some major Chinese cities with Nha Trang City (Khanh Hoa), such as Hangzhou - Cam Ranh, Changzhou - Cam Ranh, and Kunming - Cam Ranh.

Chinese visitors are impressed by the Temple of Literature, a tourist destination of Hanoi.

According to Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, localities, and businesses need to promote their own strategies and cultural identities to create interesting products. At the same time, with a large number of Chinese tourists, localities need to have a preparedness plan to ensure the safety of tourist sites during peak hours on weekends and holidays.

He added that in addition to renewing and improving tours, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) will start promoting Vietnamese tourism in the Chinese market through cooperation with some Chinese localities with which Vietnam has signed a memorandum of understanding on tourism cooperation. These are Jiangsu, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Shandong and Chongqing. 

In the coming period, VNAT will carry out two-way promotion and cooperation activities, including the 18th Beijing Tourism Expo to be held in June 2023.

In 2019, Vietnam welcomed 5.8 million Chinese tourists, accounting for one-third of the total foreign arrivals in the country. In turn, nearly 4.5 million Vietnamese visited China in the same year.