HCM CITY— The seven-day Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday from January 26 to February 1 combined with favorable weather conditions caused a surge in the number of tourists and festive bookings across the country.

Hà Nội, for example, welcomed 62,670 foreign tourists and 168,000 domestic tourists in the first five days of the holiday (January 26-30), according to the city’s Tourism Department.

The number of foreign and domestic tourists rose by 15 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

Popular tourist attractions in Hà Nội such as the Temple of Literature, Việt Nam Museum of Ethnology, Trấn Quốc Pagoda, Quán Thánh Temple and Hỏa Lòa Prison Museum saw an influx of tourists during Tết.

Nguyễn Huệ Flower Street in HCM City received around one million foreign and domestic tourists from January 25-30.

During the holiday, Suối Tiên Amusement Park, Đầm Sen Park and Zoo and Botanical Gardens in HCM City attracted thousands of tourists a day.

The central province of Thừa Thiên- Huế welcomed more than 92,000 visitors between January 26 and February 1, including 57,000 foreign tourists, an increase of 15 per cent compared to the same period last year.

During the Tết holiday, the number of visitors to the central coastal city of Đà Nẵng rose by 17.3 per cent to reach 260,523, according to the city’s Department of Tourism.

Đà Lạt City also welcomed 105,000 visitors, a year-on-year increase of 5 per cent, including 12,250 foreign tourists.

Saigontourist Travel Services, one of the country’s largest tour operators, said that it had served 33,000 foreign tourists during the holiday, most of them from France, Germany, China, Russia and US.

The company’s Foreigners Enjoy Tết tour programme featured festive spirit and entertainment in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta and HCM City, attracting more than 600 foreign tourists. 

The number of domestic tourists purchasing Tết tours rose by 9 per cent to reach 12,000, the company said.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the company received 2,500 foreign tourists on the SuperStar Virgo cruise ship docked in the central coastal city of Nha Trang.

On the same day, it welcomed cruise ship Taishan with 900 passengers on board at Tiên Sa port in the central coastal city of Đà Nẵng.

Phạm Bích Ngọc, deputy director of Vietrantour, said the company’s Tết bookings rose by 150 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Vietravel introduced around 800 tour packages and served 30,000 tourists on Tết, including thousands of tourists departing on the first day of the Lunar New Year. —VNS