Tourists in North Korea in 2019. AFP/VNA File Photo

HÀ NỘI According to Sputnik News, North Korea recently announced that it will officially resume international tourism activities by the end of 2024, nearly five years after the country completely closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following this announcement, several travel companies in Việt Nam have begun issuing notifications about organising tours to North Korea next year.

In Việt Nam, tours to North Korea surged after the second US-North Korea summit took place in Hà Nội in early 2019. Previously, Nguyễn Công Hoan, CEO of Flamingo Redtours, shared with Sputnik that the most convenient route for Vietnamese tourists travelling to North Korea is to fly to Beijing and then continue on to Pyongyang.

On August 14, Koryo Tours, a travel agency based in Beijing, announced through its official website that tours to North Korea will resume from December. The first destination will be Samjiyon, a city near the Chinese border, with the possibility of opening up other locations across the country later.

"We are delighted that North Korea is reopening after four years," said a representative of the travel agency, adding that their North Korean partners will provide specific schedules next week.

KTG Tours, a tour operator specialising in North Korean travel, also announced that foreign tourists can visit Samjiyon from this winter, expressing hope that Pyongyang will soon welcome tourists again.

Samjiyon is being developed by North Korea as a model of a 'civilised mountain town' with apartments, hotels, ski resorts and various new commercial facilities. VNS