In the five days of the Lunar New Year 2023, the number of tourists in Hanoi reached 330,000, more than triple that of the previous holiday.

A foreign visitor is wrapping Chung cake at the Temple of Literature's ground. Photo: Hoai Nam/ The Hanoi Times

The warm weather in the first spring days of the Cat Year is favorable for travel. The influx of domestic and international visitors to Hanoi increased sharply, of which foreigners came mainly from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Canada, according to the Hanoi Department of Tourism.

From January 21 to 26 (the third to the fifth day of the first lunar month), the city welcomed about 32,000 international arrivals and 300,000 domestic visitors.

The most popular tourist destinations during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday included Dong Da District’s Temple of Literature and My Duc District’s Huong Pagoda, which welcomed 80,000 visitors each.

Thang Long Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO-recognized heritage site, received about 19,700 tourists, while the Hanoi Zoo had more than 17,000 visitors. The Co Loa Relic Site in Dong Anh district welcomed about 18,000 visitors, while about 15,000 came to Duong Lam Village - Son Tay Ancient Citadel.

In addition, the Hoa Lo Prison Relic, Hong Van Bonsai Village, Bat Trang Pottery Village, and other temples also saw a sharp increase in the number of arrivals.

Dang Huong Giang, Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, said that most visitors came to the city in small groups, and their targets were museums, ecological sites, and suburban resorts.

"All these places have prepared well to welcome visitors by introducing new products and services and launching a wide range of cultural activities and art performances," she said.

According to the municipal Department of Tourism, the occupancy rate of one to five-star hotels reached 40% during this period.

The city’s department said total revenue from tourists during these days of the Tet holiday was estimated at more than VND1 trillion (US$42.6 million).

According to specialists, restructuring travel companies' operations and increasing tourist arrivals during the Tet festival can boost the local tourism sector in 2023.

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the increase in tourist arrivals to the city during Tet shows signs of recovery for the city's tourism sector in 2023.

In 2023, Hanoi expects to welcome 22 million visitors, up 17.6% from the previous year. The target includes three million international travelers, double last year's, and 19 million domestic travelers, up 10.5% from the previous year. Revenue from tourism activities is forecast to increase 28.2% year-on-year to VND77 trillion (US$3.6 billion).

Some 18.7 million travelers arrived in Hanoi in 2022, nearly twice the forecast number. The figure included 17.2 million domestic tourists, 2.15 times more than the target. Total travel revenue last year was estimated at VND60 trillion ($2.6 billion).

Bustling travel across Vietnam

Hanoi Book Street in Ly Thuong Kiet Street attracts many visitors on the third day of the first lunar month. Photo: Minh An/ The Hanoi Times

Besides the vibrant capital city, tourism activities have been exciting in other parts of Vietnam, promising that inbound tourism to Vietnam this year will thrive more than in 2022, local experts said.

In the north, Ninh Binh Province received 29,500 international tourists who visited famous places such as the Trang An-Bai Dinh pagoda complex. Lao Cai Province estimated the total revenue from international visitors at VND23 billion.

In south-central Vietnam, the Khanh Hoa Province, home to beautiful beaches, received 11,300 international visitors, while the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province was estimated to have received about 10,700 foreigners.

Foreign visitors enjoy relaxing in Khanh Hoa Province during the Tet holiday. Photo: Phi Phi/ The Hanoi Times

It was estimated that nine million domestic visitors traveled this Tet, representing an increase of 47.5% compared to the same period in Tet 2022, of which about two million were overnight stays, and the average room occupancy rate was estimated at 40 - 45%.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) reported total revenue from tourism activities was over VND17.5 trillion.

VNAT Director General Nguyen Trung Khanh said the increase in the number of international visitors to Vietnam is thanks to events held in coordination between provinces and cities with airlines and travel agencies.

Deputy Director of Vietravel - Hanoi branch Pham Van Bay said that the tour operator had built many packages of spring travel at the beginning of the year, with diverse prices ranging from VND990,000 per person.

"We planned to serve more than 15,000 tourists from Tet 1 to 6, including more than 8,200 domestic visitors and about 6,800 foreign tourists," he added.

"It is a good sign for the tourism sector to intensify promotional activities this year, striving to reach the target of hosting eight million international visitors as planned," said the Director General of VNAT.