Hanoi has built a plan to welcome foreign tourists in the new normal, which aims to ensure safety and contribute to the city’s tourism recovery and development, the municipal Department of Tourism announced on April 7.

Tourists who travel through tourism programmes must be informed on necessary procedures by travel companies when they learn about tourism programmes. Travel firms need to advise tourists to keep an eye on their health conditions and consider cancelling or delaying their travel if they develop symptoms of COVID-19 or have direct contact with the infected.

Besides, the city will bolster tourism promotion activities in key markets with high level of safety in COVID-19 prevention and control, namely European and ASEAN countries, India, the Republic of Korea, Japan, China, Australia, the US and Canada.

To raise efficiency, the capital city’s tourism sector will boost cooperation with other sectors and localities for safe and substantial tourism development, making sure that tourism activities are resumed in a concerted and consistent manner.

In particular, it will join hands with diplomatic corps and Vietnamese trade offices abroad and international organisations to arrange investment, trade and tourism promotions. The sector at the same time will roll out activities connecting with tourism localities in the northern and central regions, Ho Chi Minh City and southern provinces to build programmes serving foreign holidaymakers.

Communications will be promoted to popularise tourist destinations and new tourism products of Hanoi via traditional methods, TV channels at home and abroad, websites and social media sites like Youtube and Facebook, under the themes ‘Hanoi – Travel to Love’ and a safe and attractive tourist destination.

The city will collaborate with embassies and representative offices abroad and the Airport Corporation of Vietnam and carriers to hold tourism promotions at major markets, as well as welcome delegations of foreign reporters and travel agents in Hanoi.

In the coming months, the capital will host an array of events and festivals during and after the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31), notably a tourism festival, cuisine and craft village tourism festival, and Hanoi ao dai festival, and more.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, will be held in the capital city of Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities from May 12 to 23.

Hanoi is working to improve the quality of tourism products at heritage and relic sites and craft villages and compile introduction in five foreign languages of English, French, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Due attention will also be given to nightlife activities, for new pedestrian zones will be opened around Son Tay ancient citadel; at an urban area in Hoang Mai district; and around Hai Ba Trung district’s Tran Nhan Tong street and surrounding areas, including the bank of Thien Quang Lake. Nightlife tourism products will be created in line with traditional cultural values.

Hanoi reopened its pedestrian spaces in downtown Hoan Kiem district from March 18 after nearly a year of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The area draws an average of around 3,000 - 5,000 visitors during the day and 15,000 -20,000 at night. It spreads over 11 streets which are closed to traffic from Friday night through Sunday mid-night, and is linked to the pedestrian streets in the Old Quarter.

Hanoi authorities will support tourism firms to revive operations and develop human resources, step up digital transformation and information technology application in tourism activities.

The city is going step by step to completely resume tourism activities in 2022 with the aim of welcoming 9 – 10 million tourists, including around 2 million foreigners, according to the municipal People’s Committee.

Hanoi has also set a target of earning 27.84 – 35.84 trillion VND (1.22 – 1.57 billion USD) from tourism.

It is making every effort to keep COVID-19 at bay and accelerate the injection of the third vaccine dose in a bid to better protect its residents against the virus, deemed to be fundamental to the full reopening.

The number of visitors to Hanoi – all are domestic – totalled 4 million last year, plunging about 47 percent from 2020 and just equivalent to 36.3 percent of the yearly plan. Tourism revenue nosedived some 59.8 percent year-on-year to 11.28 trillion VND./.