Foreign tourists to Hanoi, Da Nang on the rise

The number of foreign passengers through the Noi Bai International Airport has sharply increased over the first three days of the Year of the Tiger, said the airport’s Border Customs Department.
From Feb. 14-17, the airport greeted nearly 10,000 international passengers, mainly Europeans and overseas Vietnamese, who came to Hanoi for the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) Festival.
Eighty-seven flights with almost 8,220 passengers on board departed Noi Bai on this occasion.
The airport welcomed almost 2.5 million passengers last year.
Meanwhile, the Da Nang International Airport in the central city of Da Nang received 158 Japanese tourists less than five hours ahead of the New Year’s Eve.
The Japanese visitors enjoyed the atmosphere of the Tet Festival when touring Da Nang city, Hanoi , Ha Long Bay, former imperial Hue city, Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho City.
The Japanese visitors helped bring the total number of foreign holiday makers to Da Nang to nearly 4,000 so far this year.
According to OSC’s cruise lines firm, nearly 12,000 visitors boarding 19 cruise liners are expected to visit Da Nang in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year rise of 20.7 percent.
Last year, the Tien Sa port in Da Nang city welcomed more than 30,000 visitors on 44 voyages.