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At a working session with the Vietnamese Embassy in Moscow. VNA/VNS Photo

MOSCOW – The northern province of Quảng Ninh is pitching itself as a prime destination for Russian tourists while seeking broader cooperation in tourism, services and logistics, heard a tourism promotion event recently held in Moscow, Russia.

Standing Vice Chairman of the Việt Nam Fatherland Front’s provincial chapter Nguyến Chí Thanh said Quảng Ninh welcomed more than 30 million visitors in 2025, including over 5 million foreigners. During the first half of this year alone, the province served nearly 3 million foreigners, but only over 10,000 came from Russia.

Thanh said Quảng Ninh is looking to build partnerships to steer more Russian visitors to Hạ Long Bay and other local attractions. Beyond the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hạ Long Bay, the province holds diverse advantages in marine tourism, cultural attractions, luxury resorts and wellness services.

The province now counts around 1,500 lodging facilities ranging from one- to five-star, multiple world-class golf courses, cruise services, and modern infrastructure, including Vân Đồn International Airport, a deep-water seaport and an extensive transport network.

Quảng Ninh stands ready to facilitate investment by Russian companies in tourism, hospitality, entertainment, logistics, high technology and artificial intelligence, Thanh added.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Đặng Minh Khôi said bilateral tourism cooperation is staging a strong recovery. Việt Nam hosted nearly 700,000 Russian visitors in 2025, almost double the 2024 figure. In the first six months of 2026 alone, Russian arrivals exceeded 700,000.

According to him, the resumption of direct commercial and charter flights, together with favourable visa policies, has injected new momentum into tourism growth. Russia now grants electronic visas to Vietnamese citizens, while Russians can enter Việt Nam visa-free for stays of up to 45 days.

Khôi commended Quảng Ninh for holding the event just as Russian demand for Việt Nam travel is climbing, and noted the strong turnout of Russian travel firms.

The event also saw the signing of cooperation agreements between Quảng Ninh and Russian travel companies.

During a previous working session with the Quảng Ninh delegation, Khôi urged the province to step up Russian-language tourism promotion, regularly join travel fairs and festivals in Russia, expand direct flight connections, and build a larger pool of Russian-speaking guides to improve visitor services.

On the occasion, the delegation also joined trade and tourism promotion activities in Yekaterinburg city within the framework of the 16th International Industrial Exhibition INNOPROM, thus spreading the image of Hạ Long Bay, deepening ties with Russian partners, and widening opportunities to attract tourists and investment from the Russian market. VNA/VNS