District 5 is a popular destination for tourists. Photo courtesy of tuoitre.com.vn

HCM CITY   Bike tours in Cần Giờ District and food tours on cyclos will be among the many kinds of tours to be offered during the Tết (Lunar New Year) Holiday in HCM City.

The tours are part of the city’s tourism promotion programme in 2020, according to the city's Department of Tourism.

Phan Yến Ly from Saigontourist said that last year’s special tour Tây ăn Tết ta (Foreigners Experiencing Lunar New Year Festival) attracted many international tourists.

The tour, which lasted for half a day, took tourists to the Tao Đàn Spring Flower Festival and Chợ Lớn Market, worship activities at a temple, and a local’s house for a Tết meal with the house owner.

Tinh hoa Tết Việt (The Essence of Vietnamese Tết) will be the theme of this year’s tours, according to Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper.

Tourists will be able to explore the HCM City Museum, Independence Palace, Tân Định Church, and District 5, among other places, during the tours.

A representative of Kim Travel, Dương Hồng Phước, said the Sài Gòn River Tour is HCM City’s new tourism feature.

The tour is part of the Sài Gòn rực rỡ sắc màu hoàng hôn (Vibrant Sunset of Sài Gòn) tour, which takes in the sunset along the Landmark 81 building, Nguyễn Huệ Pedestrian Street and the Sài Gòn River, he said.

Việt Nam – câu chuyện chưa kể về Sài Gòn xưa và nay (Việt Nam – Untold Stories of Old and Current Sài Gòn) is another significant tour. It consists of five mini tours for visitors to enjoy street food and experience the life of a farmer in Vàm Sát – Cần Giờ, among other activities.

Nguyễn Thị Ánh Hoa, deputy director of the city's Department of Tourism, said the tourism promotion programme this year has attracted the participation of 20 travel agencies covering 50 destinations.

During 2020, HCM City will offer many special tours, all priced at VNĐ430,000 per person during the first five days of the month on major holidays in March, April, September and December, she said.

Some travel agencies will further reduce their prices by 30 to 45 per cent. VNS