Hanoi Department of Tourism hosted a meeting on May 6 to foster information exchange and promote two-way tourism between Hanoi and Irkutsk (Russian Federation) in Hanoi.

Hanoi tourism sector works closely with Far East Tourism Enterprises (Russia). Photo: Hoai Nam/The Hanoi Times

According to Malinovskii Roman, Vice President of the Asia-Europe Business Association, the Far East (Russian Federation) has great advantages in tourism. The city of Irkutsk, founded in the 17th century, is located in southeastern Russia and has many UNESCO world heritage sites.

In particular, the iconic and beautiful Lake Baikal is only 60 kilometers from the city center. Known as the "Pearl of Siberia," it is the oldest and deepest lake on Earth, with incredibly pure and clear freshwater. It also contains more flora and fauna than any other lake in the world, including the only remaining freshwater seals, and is surrounded by high mountains, wildflower meadows, and lush green forests.

To attract more tourists from Vietnam, Russian airline IrAero has launched an international flight connecting Irkutsk airport (Russia) with Hanoi (Vietnam) with a frequency of twice a week.

Lake Baikal, Far Eastern Region of the Russian Federation. File Photo

In terms of tourism, data from the city's Department of Tourism show that Hanoi residents account for over 50% of the total number of Vietnamese travelers to Russia. Hanoi and Moscow have recently established close cooperation, especially with a number of events, including the Vietnamese Goods Fair held in Moscow and the Moscow Day in Hanoi, which is planned to be organized in September 2024.

At the meeting, local tourism businesses introduced the potential and strengths of Hanoi tourism to their Russian partners and proposed initiatives to exchange tourists between the two countries.

They also told their partners about the difficulties in bringing Vietnamese travelers to Russia, for example, Irkutsk tour operators often take three days to respond to requests for information. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese partners need only one day.

Dang Huong Giang, Director of the Hanoi Tourism Department, asked Russian Far East travel agencies and IrAero Airline to ensure the airfare and frequency of flights from Hanoi to Irkutsk until the end of 2025. "This is to help travel companies create tours and routes that take travelers from Hanoi to the Far East (Russia) and vice versa," she said.

Representatives of travel agencies from the Far East region of Russia travel around Hanoi in a double-decker bus. Photo: Hoai Nam/The Hanoi Times