Boosting Vietnam-Malaysia Tourism Cooperation

In the past years, tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Malaysia brought in satisfactory results. There are many opportunities for the two countries to expand cooperation in this field.
Malaysia has five world heritage sites that have been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and this is one of the advantages for Malaysia to attract visitors. Tourists can find in this country with a population of 27 million harmonious combination of the Malaysian, Chinese and Indian cultures. Malaysia has a modern infrastructure network with adequate facilities such as roads, hotels and parks. The Genting Highlands Resort which is 55km north of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, was built in 1965 at the height of 1,700m above the sea surface. This is the place where the only lawful casino of Malaysia is situated. Other attractive tourist destinations in Malaysia include Melaka City, Pinang Island, Tioman Island, Langkawi Island and Kinabalu National Park. With such attractions, Malaysia has become the first choice of Vietnamese people when they want to travel abroad.
To attract Vietnamese visitors, in 2005, Malaysia launched some programs to advertise its tourist sites in many countries, including Vietnam. The representative offices and agents of many Malaysian tourism companies are operational in Vietnam, focusing on teaching Malaysian tour guides Vietnamese language so that they can provide Vietnamese tourists with the best service.
The Malaysian Food and Culture Week will be taking place at the Melia Hanoi Hotel from August 26-31, 2010. Presenting the combination of the Indian, Chinese and Malaysian cultures as well as special kinds of Malaysian food, the event is expected to attract lots of visitors to Malaysia, a country of cultural diversity that is home to various ethnic groups. Malaysia has been very successful in organizing food festivals to attract international visitors. Coming to the Malaysian Food and Culture Week in Hanoi, visitors will have a chance to see with their own eyes how Teh Tarik, a special kind of Malaysian tea, is prepared from tea and condensed milk. They can also enjoy imperial and traditional dances of Malaysia such as Joget, Inang, Silat, Shadow Plays and Darun Julud.
Vietnam is becoming a major market of the Malaysian tourism sector. In the first six months of 2010, Malaysia welcomed nearly 90,000 Vietnamese tourists. It is predicted that in 2010 the number of Vietnamese tourists to Malaysia will total 200,000.
On its side, Vietnam is actively attracting foreign tourists, including Malaysian visitors, to special events such as the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi and activities that Vietnam hosts as the Chair of ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) in 2010. In 2009, more than 166,000 Malaysian tourists visited Vietnam, accounting for 4.4 percent of the total number of foreign tourists to Vietnam. Vietnam will cooperate with mass media organizations of Malaysia to launch advertising programs that help Malaysian people learn about the culture and society as well as tourist destinations in Vietnam. In addition, Vietnam will invite Malaysian tourism companies and the ambassadors and cultural attaches of other countries in Malaysia to attend events such as seminars and gala nights to present the images of Vietnamese people and country.
Thanks to tight cooperation between the Vietnamese tourism sector and the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia as well as Malaysian tourism companies, Vietnam Airlines and the mass media, it is hoped that the number of Vietnamese tourists to Malaysia and vice versa will increase considerably in 2010.