Cultural programs are being held by tour promotion agencies from Japan and South Korea at the ongoing Vietnam International Tourism Mart (VITM) for visitors to experience the cultural beauty of these two countries.  

The Seoul Olympic Park in South Korea. Photo: Imagine Your Korea

According to the Korea Tourism Board (KTO) in Vietnam, with the theme “Imagine Your Korea - Discover Korea in your own way,” South Korean businesses not only introduce tourist information but also offer many cultural experiences such as wearing South Korean traditional costumes (Hanbok) for free; watching a K-Pop cover dance show; do-it-yourself Korean bracelets; taking part in mini games to receive gifts if winning.

In particular, visitors also have the opportunity to take pictures with mascots dressed in the traditional Hanbok, and watch the beautiful landscapes of South Korea through the promotional videos displayed at the booth. 

KTO Chief Representative Park Jong Sun said that 2020 is a particularly difficult year for the global tourism industry and travelers due to Covid-19. Through the VITM Hanoi 2020, KTO hopes to attract Vietnamese tourists to South Korea’s destinations after Covid-19. 

At the same time, KTO will also accompany travel businesses to promote the recovery of the tourism market as soon as air routes connecting the two countries are resumed in the near future, Mr. Park said.

According to KTO’s statistics, Vietnam is the market with the highest growth rate in the world for South Korean tourism in recent years.

According to the representative office of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) in Vietnam, Japan’s booth at the VITM will hold many activities for visitors to experience traits of Japanese culture such as drawing and making figurine of maneki neko cat, folding origami, calligraphy, wearing the traditional yukata, and taking pictures with Japanese landscape background. 

Visitors can learn information about Japanese tourism through flyers, videos, participate in mini games and receive gifts.

JNTO Vietnam Chief Representative Takahashi Ayumi said that the agency will also present the appeal of many other regions of Japan through videos, as well as brochures and publications placed at the booth. Visitors are expected to have interesting experiences with Japanese tourism, even in the current period when they cannot make the trip, he said.