Tourists rush to Hanoi

The 1,000th Anniversary of Thang Long–Hanoi is drawing near. A large number of people from many places, especially from Ho Chi Minh City, are pouring into Hanoi.
Since early this year, travel agencies in Ho Chi Minh City have launched a variety of tours to Hanoi on the occasion of the Great Festival.
Ms.Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Head of the Marketing Office of Saigontourist, said the company has introduced the Great Festival to not only local tourists but also to foreign visitors in international tourism fairs in Germany, France, the US, Russia and the UK.
In this October, the company will launch tours to explore cultural identities of Hanoi. During the ten days of the Great Festival, the company will take more than 3,000 tourists to the city and its neighboring areas. The company’s customers increased by 38%, compared to the same period last year.
Similarly, Vietravel has launched tours to explore famous tourist sites in Hanoi during the Great Festival. Participants will have opportunities to visit local famous tourist sites, enjoy cuisine festivals, watch art performances and take part in various traditional activities in the city.
According to Van Phu Nghia, an official from the Ben Thanh Tourist Company, the number of tourists who booked tours has increased three times compared to the same period last year.
Visitors taking the company’s tours will tour historical sites such as Hoang Thanh Royal Citadel, Temples of Hung King and Le King and traditional craft villages.
Promotion programs launched by airlines also help to increase the number of tourists at the moment. Before the Great Festival, the budget airline Jetstar Pacific introduced several promotion programs to offer cheap tickets for passengers.
According to the air carrier, nearly 6,000 visitors have participated in the first promotion program launched from September 7th to October 27th.
At present, the budget airline has introduced the program to offer 1,000 tickets, each worth VND 1,000, for passengers in the five weeks from September 9th to October 10th.
Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines has offered 50% discount for 300,000 seats in domestic flights between September 15th and October 30th.
The Great Festival, which falls in the autumn – the most beautiful season in Hanoi, is a good chance for people from Ho Chi Minh City to explore Hanoi.
Nguyen Minh, a young person in the city, said that he and his friends prepared for a trip to Hanoi two months ago. ”The Great Festival is a big national event that I want to attend,” he said.
On this occasion, a delegation of businessmen from the Vietnam Young Business Association will launch a caravan tour to Hanoi. They will start from the Central Highland region, go through coastal provinces and eventually reach Hanoi.
During the trip, the delegation will take part in various activities such as cultural exchanges, presenting scholarships to poor pupils and promote investment and trade activities.
However, some travel agencies and visitors are worried about traffic jams and increases in prices during the Great Festival.