The Hanoi Department of Tourism in collaboration with relevant agencies held a ceremony to welcome 20 visitors from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi on January 1, 2021 at the special national relic - the Temple of Literature.

Hanoi's authorities and visitors attend the Temple of Literature on January 1, 20201.

“The event welcoming the first group of tourists to Hanoi in 2021 took place on the morning of the first day of the new year will kick off a new start with many wishes for the tourism industry, towards a safe, friendly, quality and attractive destination” said Mr. Tran Trung Hieu, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism.

The event was in response to the program “Vietnamese people travel in Vietnam”, with the aim of stimulating domestic tourism demand in the new normal. This was an opportunity to promote the culture and people of the city with a history of more than a thousand years, a national political and administrative center. The city is also home to diverse tourism resources with high-quality tourism products and services.

The first visitors to the Temple of Literature complex  enjoyed a unique art performance.

Besides the city, other provinces and cities such as Ninh Binh, Moc Chau (Son La), Ha Giang, Danang, Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Vung Tau also held ceremonies welcoming  the first  visitors on the first day of the year.

Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Director of Anh Duong Tours (Dong Da District, Hanoi) said: "The tourism sector experienced a difficult year of 2020 due to Covid-19, welcoming the first customers earlier this new year gives travel companies like us high hopes in 2021."

Meanwhile, Mr. Pham Tien Dung, Director of Golden Tours (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi) hoped that the pandemic situation will be under control as well as road traffic and at destinations would be safe, so that the tourism sector will have a favorable and prosperous year.

In 2020, the city welcomed 7.54 million domestic visitors, down 65% from a year earlier. Due to the pandemic which prevents foreign entries, domestic travelers will continue to be a focus of the sector.

Hieu also said that the city's tourism sector will continue to prioritize prevention and control of Covid-19 as its important task for recovery in 2021, and called on local travel companies to enhance their cooperation to create a safe and attractive tourism market.