The "Get on Hanoi 2024" program kicked off on March 9, with a diverse program of nearly 50 cultural and tourism events taking place throughout the weekend on Trinh Cong Son pedestrian street in Tay Ho District.

Nguyen Van Phong (4th from right), Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee and Nguyen Manh Quyen (3rd right), Deputy Chairman of the city People's Committee, at the event on March 9. Photo: Le Nam/The Hanoi Times

Audiences in Hanoi were treated to a performance entitled 'Scents of West Lake', featuring 300 drones and various outstanding artistic performances on the evening of 9 March.

On March 10, the program carries on with exhibitions and other artistic performances, in addition to a ceremony at which the Hanoi People's Committee officially recognizes the Nhat Tan Tourism Area, Nhat Tan Ward, Tay Ho District, as a city-level tourist attraction.

Nhat Tan Ward has long been famous for its cherry blossom cultivation, scenic West Lake and attractions such as Tao Sach Pagoda, Water Park, Flower Valley, Hong River Stone Beach, and Creative Cultural Space (Trinh Cong Son Street).

Nhat Tan Tourist Area is part of the set of famous tourist destinations in Tay Ho District, including Tran Quoc Pagoda, Tay Ho Palace, and Dong Co Temple, along with many unique festivals and famous traditional craft villages such as Phu Thuong practicing sticky rice village, Quang An with scented tea with lotus, and Tu Lien with ornamental kumquat cultivation.

The public is treated to a special art program featuring 300 drones. Photo: Le Nam/The Hanoi Times

Dang Huong Giang, Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, said that in 2024, tourism in the capital would continue to focus on cultural values and heritage related to tourism, building the image of Hanoi as a civilized, sophisticated, modern city, a "city for peace" and a "creative city".

The city will build distinctive and attractive tourism products based on existing advantages while focusing on the development of new products linked to the specific strengths of each locality, such as domestic waterway tourism along the Red River, West Lake and Dong Mo Lake; the development of agricultural and rural tourism combined with sports tourism.

In 2024, Hanoi's tourism industry aims to attract more than 27 million visitors, up 9.2% from 2023, including 5.5 million international tourists. Total tourism revenue is expected to reach VND109.4 trillion ($4.4 billion), up 17.1% from 2023.