With a vast array of cultural and tourist activities, the Hanoi Fall Festival 2023 is expected to boost the capital's tourism industry, Nguyen Thi Mai Anh, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Promotion Agency (HPA), told The Hanoi Times.

Foreign tourists enjoy the fall in Hanoi. Photo: Hoai Nam/The Hanoi Times

What is the meaning and purpose of Hanoi Fall Festival 2023 with the theme "Hanoi - Come to fall in love"?

Through surveys of tourists' experiences when coming to the capital, we have learned that the ideal time to travel to Hanoi is in the fall, from August to November every year, as this is the most pleasant period in Hanoi in terms of weather, with clear blue skies and fresh breeze. This is the best time for visitors to explore scenic spots and enjoy the capital's unique cuisine.

In particular, CNN recently named Hanoi "one of the top places to visit in the fall". Therefore, the Hanoi Fall Festival 2023 aims to promote the beauty of the capital's landscape, culture and gastronomy as an attractive, high-quality and safe destination. In doing so, it creates opportunities for travel businesses to gradually take advantage of the beauty of Autumn and develop attractive tourism products.

What are activities expected to foster the potential and beauty of the capital?

We have planned the activities carefully and thoroughly. In particular, to introduce Hanoi's Autumn to tourists, the Hanoi Autumn Festival will be held in the iconic old streets around Hoan Kiem Lake, including Dinh Tien Hoang, Le Thach and the Octagonal House area with 150 stalls.

The festival has the participation of 10 districts, including Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Nam Tu Liem, Cau Giay, Me Linh, Quoc Oai, Ung Hoa, Dong Anh, Ba Vi, and Gia Lam.

In addition, dozens of northern, central and southern provinces will come to the festival to showcase their tourism potential and products.

To introduce Hanoi's fashion culture, artisans and tailors will organize Ao Dai (traditional long robe) fashion shows. The Vietnam Ao Dai Club will showcase 11 ao dai collections by 11 designers, including the record-breaking ao dai Dau An Thoi Gian (Hallmark of Time) by designer Hoang Ly, which is 189 meters long, studded with stones and printed with traditional Vietnamese motifs.

HPA Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Mai Anh (center) at the press briefing. Photo: Hoai Nam/The Hanoi Times

Tourists come to Hanoi not only for its beautiful scenery but also for its delicious food, so how will Hanoi cuisine be introduced during the festival?

Besides introducing tourism products, the Hanoi People's Committee also promotes local autumn delicacies to tourists. The highlight is the Hanoi Culinary Space with the theme "Essence of Vietnamese Cuisine", featuring many specialties of the capital.

Tourists can try various dishes made with com (young sticky rice flakes), the must-try autumn specialty. The pho (noodle soup) room introduces Hanoi's pho culture, from small pho shops to famous pho restaurants such as Pho Thin and other brands. Other delicacies include Cha Ca (grilled fish), Bun oc Ho Tay (West Lake snail noodles), and Phu Thuong sticky rice.

The event will also showcase the unique cuisine of Hanoi's districts and handicraft villages. Artisans will demonstrate the process of making local specialties such as liquor from Ngau Village (Thanh Tri), soy sauce from Cu Da Village (Thanh Oai), and sticky rice sauce from Duong Lam Village (Son Tay).

In addition to introducing traditional dishes, the Hanoi Fall Festival has also promoted restaurants that have won Michelin Selection such as Pho Bo (rice noodles with beef) in Au Trieu Street, Ms Nguyet's Pho Ga (rice noodles with chicken), Thang Long grilled fish.

Will the festival be a valuable opportunity to promote the capital's tourism?

Within the framework of the Hanoi Autumn Festival, many business networking and tourism promotion activities will be organized, such as MICE and golf tourism development conferences.

To attract tourists to suburban destinations in the fall, we will coordinate with travel agencies to take tourists to Son Tay and Ung Hoa to enjoy the spectacular views of rice fields in the ripe season.

On the other hand, travel agencies will introduce products and services to stimulate tourism, such as tours connecting the capital with the whole country, discounted air tickets, and sightseeing tours at tourist destinations in Hanoi. Specifically, Hanoitourist will introduce three tours to the Temple of Literature, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, and one to Thang Long Puppet Theater to enjoy water puppet art.

Some companies, such as Elite Tour, also offer up to 30% discounts on tours departing in September and October. For example, the tour from Hanoi to the South and Ho Chi Minh City in five days four nights costs more than VND5 million (US$210)/person. Tours departing from Hanoi to international destinations are also discounted.

Thank you for your time.