Golden rice fields in Mù Cang Chải, a photo by Trần Tuấn Việt featured on the Facebook of Vietnamtourismboard.

HÀ NỘI — A photo contest has kicked off to start the #VietnamNOW campaign as part of the country’s inbound marketing strategy.

Applicants should send their best pictures of Vietnamese tourism for the chance to win holidays in the country and branded gift sets to take home.

The prizes for the two winning photos are a holiday at the five-star InterContinental Phú Quốc Long Beach Resort with domestic flights to Phú Quốc Island (Kiên Giang Province), and an overnight cruise and scenic seaplane tour of Hạ Long Bay (Quảng Ninh Province) from L’Azalée Hạ Long Bay Cruises and Hải Âu Aviation.

The contest is open for entries until October 30. Vietnamese and foreigners are eligible to enter the contest on Facebook page Vietnamtourismboard.

The contest is the first of a series of activities to be held under the banner #VietnamNOW.

Travellers can find inspiration and information about Việt Nam. Followers of the campaign on Facebook and Instagram can look forward to monthly giveaways with prizes from top Vietnamese brands.

Launched by the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), in collaboration with the Việt Nam Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), the campaign aims to tell inspiring stories of Vietnamese tourism, and provide information about the country's renowned natural beauty and rich historical and cultural attractions, and experiences shared by international travellers from around the world.

“Through the campaign, we hope to expand Việt Nam’s image overseas, by showing wonderful experiences of the tourists who have visited the country,” said Đinh Ngọc Đức, head of VNAT’s Tourism Marketing Department.

“Việt Nam has many options and attractions for travellers to enjoy and explore. We want to introduce the best travel products, tours and services.”

“In addition to promoting the country's famous gastronomy, UNESCO heritage sites, cultural treasures and natural landscapes, the campaign will also highlight new options for travellers, such as golf getaways, wellness retreats, luxury resorts, adventure tourism and urban breaks," he said.

Events such as festivals, marathons and the Formula One race in Hà Nội next year will be put in the spotlight to build awareness of Việt Nam’s diverse tourism assets.

The campaign will debut at the World Travel Market in London in November to attract more tourists from the UK.

VNAT will also launch a series of five #VietnamNOW videos showcasing the best destinations, and an “I Wish I Was in #VietnamNOW” contest to win free flights to Việt Nam, as well as downloadable guides for first-time travellers to the country.

Việt Nam has recently been honoured with the Asia’s Leading Culinary Destination title at the 26th World Travel Awards held on Phú Quốc Island on October 13. This year, Việt Nam also won the title of Asia’s Leading Destination for the second year in a row, together with the Asia’s Leading Cultural Destination award.
Hội An, a tourist city in the central province of Quảng Nam and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was named Asia's Leading Cultural City Destination. — VNS