From local to foreign tourists, Bùi Viện Street is a bustling hub in the heart of HCM City’s downtown, especially at night. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

HCM CITY — Domestic and international tourists are being drawn to downtown areas of District 1 in HCM City for night tours as part of HCM City Tourism Week.

The “District 1 - Night Colours” tour is offered as a collaboration between the city’s Department of Tourism, District 1 People’s Committee, and Vietluxtour travel firm.

The tour aims to showcase a different side of District 1 at night, blending ancient and modern experiences. It includes cultural and historical explorations, artistic entertainment, shopping and food experiences, as well as health care activities.

Priced at around VNĐ1.6 million (US$66), the tour runs from 5:40pm to 10pm.

Local and foreign tourists line up for a hop-on and hop-off double-decker bus tour at night. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

The itinerary for the tour allows visitors to visit the 140-year-old Continental Hotel to learn about the history of Saigon, enjoy the À Ố Show, have dinner on Đồng Khởi Street, visit Bến Thành market for shopping and dining, and end the day with a relaxing spa session.

In addition, the tour also includes visits to the People’s Committee headquarters and water puppetry performances on specific days.

Vietnamese tourists take a photo in front of the HCM City Post Office. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

Lê Trương Hiền Hòa, deputy director of the Department of Tourism, said District 1 is the “heart of the city”, offering accommodation, dining, entertainment, shopping, health care, cultural, sports, and tourism events.

Trần Thế Dũng, general director of Vietluxtour, said the night tour is held as part of the city’s efforts to diversify its tourism products and stimulate the night economy, which is identified as a key pillar of tourism development in locales like HCM City.

Statistics show that up to 70 per cent of tourist spending in a locality’s tour programme is on nighttime service activities.

Foreign tourists at Nguyễn Huệ pedestrian-friendly street in downtown HCM City. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

The HCM City Tourism Week began early this week with a range of tourism, sports, and music activities, along with promotional programmes to stimulate shopping and travel demand across the southern economic hub.

The city earned VNĐ125.5 trillion ($5.1 billion) in revenue from tourism in the first nine months, up 35.8 per cent year-on-year.

It welcomed nearly 27 million domestic visitors, up 24.9 per cent year-on-year, and about 3.6 million foreign visitors, up 69 per cent year-on-year.

The number of passengers traveling to and from the city by air and train increased 37 per cent and 53 per cent, respectively. — VNS