Hanoi promotes itself as safe, friendly city

Hanoi has been shortlisted for the World’s Leading City Destination at the 2019 World Travel Awards (WTA), providing an excellent opportunity for the Vietnamese capital to promote itself as a safe and friendly destination for both domestic and foreign visitors.

Turtle Tower in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi

The local tourism sector is calling for locals and tourists to vote for Hanoi at the WTA’s website http://www.worldtravelawards.com/vote, which will end on October 20.

Popular places in Hanoi include Hoan Kiem Lake, the Old Quarter, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Temple of Literature and Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

According to the municipal Department of Tourism, the number of foreign visitors to Hanoi increased by approximately 19 percent between 2015 and 2018. They came from over 190 countries and territories in the world.

In 2018, Hanoi welcomed 26.31 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 10.4 percent. International arrivals reached over 6 million, up 21.3 percent, the department said.

In the first nine months of 2019, Hanoi served more than 21.5 million vacationers, up 9.5 percent against the same period last year, including over 4.7 million foreigners, up over 10 percent.

Tourists from Asian countries account for 60 percent of the international visitors who arrive in Hanoi, followed by Europe at nearly 24 percent, America at 9 percent, Australia at 5.5 percent and Africa at 0.5 percent.

Nguyen Manh Than, Chairman of the Hanoi Tourism Association, said many foreign visitors chose Hanoi to visit thanks to the beautiful natural landscapes, rich culture, safety and hospitable locals.

In recent years, Hanoi has been hailed as one of the most attractive destinations in the region and the world by prestigious international organisations such as “Asia’s Leading Destination” and the “World’s Leading Destination” in 2018.

In 2019, Hanoi won the Travelers’ Choice Awards and was ranked among the 25 leading destinations in Asia, and the 25 world’s leading places on TripAdvisor website.

CNN listed Hanoi along with Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang as the best travel destinations in Asia in 2019.

Many highlights of Hanoi were recently listed in the CNN’s article suggesting 13 memorable experiences for foreign visitors in Vietnam such as “search for the best pho in Hanoi”, “make vermicelli noodles in Cu Da village”, and “ride the Reunification Express (officially known as North-South Railway)”.

Most recently, Hanoi has been ranked fifth among the seven best places in Asia for solo travellers by Bigseventravel.

The Italian tourism website described Hanoi as a hectic, crazy and often confusing city, and a wonderful base from which to explore the north of Vietnam, including the world natural heritage site of Ha Long Bay in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh and the popular resort town of Sa Pa in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

According to Mastercard’s Asia Pacific Destinations Index, Hanoi ranked 15th among the 20 leading destinations in the region.

Given huge opportunities from the tourism sector, Hanoi has made significant investment in improving the quality of tourism products and services as well as developing infrastructure and promoting the image of the capital to domestic and foreign visitors.

The city has coordinated with the CNN to promote its image through short advertising clips.

After completing the deal for 2018-2019, the capital has signed another contract with CNN for 2019-2024.

Advertising videos produced and broadcast by CNN such as “Hanoi-Cradle of Heritage” and “Hanoi-Heart of Vietnam” have attracted a lot of foreign viewers.

Tran Duc Hai, Director of the municipal Tourism Department, said Hanoi is a member of the Council for Promoting Tourism in Asia (CPTA) and Tourism Promoting Organisation for Asia Pacific Cities (TPO).

The city has close cooperation ties with most major cities in Asia such as Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (the Republic of Korea), Bangkok (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), as well as European cities like Paris (France), Moscow (Russia) and Frankfurt (Germany), he added.

VNA