Hanoi welcomed roughly 422,000 tourists, including locals and foreigners, during the National Day holiday which lasted from September 1 to September 4.

Visitors are walking in downtown Hanoi during the National Day, which falls on September 2. Photos: The Hanoi Times

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the average occupancy rate of hotels in Hanoi is around 40.5%, of which the number of nights spent by domestic visitors was 23.5% and that of foreign travelers 17%. 

During the two first days of the national holiday (September 1-2), the city welcomed 242,200 tourists, earning a total revenue of more than VND740 billion ($31.5 million). Of the visitors, the number of international arrivals was estimated at 12,000 while the number of domestic travelers reached 230,000.

Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism Dang Huong Giang said due to the fear of crowds at distant tourist destinations, many Hanoians chose to travel around the capital and to tourist attractions on the outskirts of the city. 

Sights in the city saw a sharp increase in visitors, including the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Temple of Literature (Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam), walking space in Hoan Kiem Lake area, Thu Le Zoo, and West Lake Water Park.

Deputy Head of the Management Board of Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter Tran Thuy Lan told The Hanoi Times that rains occurred on the first day of the National Day holiday led to closure of amusement parks in the city. 

However, since September 2, the weather has cleared up, so the walking space in the Hoan Kiem Lake area became crowded for the rest of the holiday.

Visitors at Duong Lam Ancient Village during the National Day.

At Thu Le Zoo, during September 1-4, the number of visitors reached around 10,000. A representative from the zoo said the zoo welcomed nearly 80,000 visitors on September 2. 

Similarly, during the past holiday, West Lake Water Park welcomed a large number of guests. Some 20,000 people visited the park during National Day holiday. 

The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long welcomed over 10,000 visitors, Temple of Literature hosted about 13,000 people, the Hoa Lo Prison Relic received nearly 10,000 arrivals while some 5,000 people visited the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.

Specially, the city's locals also chose to travel to many tourist attractions in the suburban districts including Duong Lam Ancient Village and Son Tay Ancient Citadel (over 5,000 visitors), Bat Trang craft village (8,000 visitors), and Hong Van trade village (6,480 visitors).

In particular, in Ba Vi District, the number of visitors to amusement parks and attractions has seen high growth, including Ao Vua resort (17,160 visitors), Khoang Xanh - Suoi Tien tourist area (15,930 arrivals), and Tan Da Resort (2,400 tourists).

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum welcomes a number of visitors on September 2. Photo: Minh An/ The Hanoi Times

In comparison to the plan set by the city earlier this year, the capital’s tourism industry has fulfilled the goal of earning total revenue of VND27.8-VND35.8 trillion ($1.2-$1.5 billion), welcoming 9-10 million tourists.

The average occupancy rate of lodging of all categories was estimated at 32.9% in the first eight months of this year, up 10.7% over the same period in 2021. 

Such results were favorable premises for the city's tourism to make progress in the near future, according to the municipal tourism department.

To facilitate the local tourism, the department will urge travel agencies and destinations to build more attractive and unique tourism products, which focus on harnessing local strengths, according to Dang Huong Giang said.

Some products are adventure tourism, hot air balloon services at Ba Vi National Park, and paragliding for young and enthusiastic tourists.

Besides, local businesses are also encouraged to launch experience tourism, sports tourism, resort tourism combined with health and wellness activities in Ba Vi, Son Tay, and Soc Son, night-time cultural tourism, and cuisine tours in the Old Quarter.