The 700-meter section along Van Huong Street from Con Huou (Deer) intersection to Ngo Quyen Motel in the Do Son beach tourist area will be reserved only for pedestrians.

The pilot program will be carried out from Reunification Day on April 30 until National Day on September 2 after which authorities would report on its effectiveness, according to a statement of the municipal People's Committee.

The launch of the pedestrian street is part of authorities' efforts to attract more tourists to the northern port city.

A tourism festival titled 'Do Son-The Color of the Sea', one of the city's biggest events to boost local tourism, will be held during the upcoming national holiday (April 30-May 3) at the Do Son beach tourism area with a series of activities including female beach volleyball, a music show and a vintage car parade.

Once a popular resort town during French colonial times, Do Son beach is now a famous weekend resort destination in northern Vietnam. Hai Phong is also known for Cat Ba Island, the largest in the Cat Ba Archipelago. Cat Ba National Park on the island was recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2003 and is home to a number of historical sites.

Vietnam will celebrate a four-day national holiday for Reunification Day (April 30) and Labor Day (May 1). With the nation having contained its Covid-19 outbreaks, domestic air travel has returned to normal.

Vietnam's latest Covid-19 outbreak in late January came just a few weeks before the Lunar New Year (Tet), its biggest holiday, forcing many people to cancel travel plans. The country has gone over two months without community transmissions.