A series of attractive activities, including a hot air balloon festival “Colourful Hanoi” will be organized this weekend in Hanoi’s downtown to stimulate the city’s tourism. 

Hanoi will hold a Balloon Festival for the first time this weekend. File photo

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the program titled “Hanoi Tourism Welcomes 2022 - Get on Hanoi 2022” will start at 8 pm on March 25 at the Bat Giac (Octagonal) House in Hoan Kiem District.

A visual art performance that includes music repertoires, lights, and images of Hanoi's destinations will be shown on a big screen. Then there will be the screening of the short film “Colourful Hanoi”; the music and visual art show “Charming Hanoi”, and a musical and art performance titled “Get on Hanoi 2022”.

In particular, the event also introduces low-hanging hot air balloons on nearby Dinh Tien Hoang Street, with ten hot air balloons of 10m high and one hot air balloon of 22m high.

According to the organizers, the program will be broadcast online through digital platforms including YouTube, the municipal Department of Tourism’s fanpage, and the “Get on Hanoi” fanpage.

The main attraction of the program, the “Colorful Hanoi” hot air balloon festival, will take place at Long Bien Longan Garden, along the Red River, at the foot of Vinh Tuy Bridge in Long Bien District, Hanoi, from March 25 to 27.

For the first time, visitors will be able to ride hot air balloons in the sky over Hanoi thanks to the new tourism product of VMG Company Ltd. People will have a chance to experience flying up in hot air balloons to see Hanoi from above.

The poetic scenery of Hanoi from above. Photo: Hanoi Tourism Department

Besides, they will have the opportunity to explore inside the hot air balloon as well as admire the unique installation of hot air balloons on the banks of the Red River.

“Hanoi Tourism Welcomes 2022 - Get on Hanoi 2022” is expected to help the capital city promote its image as a safe, friendly, and attractive destination to domestic and foreign visitors.

This is also the opening event for a series of tourism stimulus activities that will take place in 2022 including the Hanoi tourism gift festival, the Hanoi tourism festival, food, and handicraft village tourism festival, and Ao dai Hanoi festival.

In the first three months of 2022, Hanoi welcomes about 2.8 million tourists. The total revenue of the industry is estimated at VND7.8 trillion ($342.6m), up 45.3% over the same period in 2021.

As of March 2022, there have been  3,725 tourist accommodation establishments in Hanoi with more than 70,000 rooms; of which 591 hotels have been rated from 1-5 stars with 24,415 rooms. 

In the first quarter of 2022, the average occupancy rate of 1-to-5-star hotels is estimated at 19.3%, down 1.9% over the same period in 2021.

Hanoi aims to serve over 10 million visitors in 2022, including over 1.2 million international holiday-makers, earning total revenue of over VND30 trillion ($1.31 billion).