Vietnam stands out as best destination in 2015

Vietnam has come at the top of travellers’ list in 2015, the Canada’s CTV News and The Malay Mail reported on their websites on December 31st. The report is based on rankings and suggestions made by travel websites and guidebooks for the coming year.

Mu Cang chai in Yen Bai province

Others destinations on top of the list include Namibia, Panama, Nicaragua, Lithuania and Belgium’s Mons city.According to experts, Vietnam has declared 2015 as its national year of tourism, meaning that there has never been a better time to visit.Special events and shows for tourists will be held at cultural heritage sites across the country, such as the imperial citadel of Thang Long in the capital of Hanoi.

Da Nang, a central city between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city, topped the US-based TripAdvisor’s list of the best destinations of 2015. With its Buddhist sanctuaries and stunning beaches, the destination is winning over more and more members of the website’s travel community.

Meanwhile, the UK’s Telegraph Travel forecast the Phong Nha – Ke Bang national park in the north of Hoi An ancient town as the hottest Vietnamese destination next year.

Vietnam has set the 2015 goal of welcoming approximately 8.5 million foreigners and 41 million domestic arrivals, raking in over USD12 billion.

Hanoi - Halong - Sapa

Visitors flock to tourist sites during 2015’s first days

Tourist sites nationwide attracted large numbers of visitors during the calendar New Year’s holiday (Jan 1st-4th, 2015), significantly contributing to the sector’s revenue.

Over 50,000 holiday-makers came to the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai during the vacation. Of whom, 40,000 visited Sa Pa district, which is famous for Ham Rong mountain, Thac Bac and Thac Tinh Yeu (Bac and Love Waterfall) and the hamlets of Ta Phin, Ta Van and Cat Cat with terraced fields and unique habits of ethnic minorities.

During the first three days of the New year, more than 7,000 pilgrims flocked to the Con Son-Kiep Bac historical site in the northern province of Hai Duong, which was recognised as a national heritage site in 1962 and a special national heritage site in 2012.

In 2013, the Con Son-Kiep Bac spring and autumn festivals received national intangible cultural heritage status. The festivals are held in the first and eighth lunar months every year to commemorate national heroes Nguyen Trai, (the Great Man of Culture of the world), and Tran Hung Dao, who acted as the Supreme Commander of Vietnam during the Tran Dynasty, leading Vietnamese troops to repel three major Mongolian invasions in the 13th century.

During the four-day holiday, the central city of Da Nang greeted nearly 63,000 visitors, including 33,000 foreigners, up 32 percent and 30.2 percent over the same period last year, respectively.

According to travel agencies, most foreign tourists arriving in Da Nang on the occasion are Korean, Japanese, Singaporean, Malaysian, Chinese, Lao, Thai and European.

Meanwhile, as many as 35,600 people visited the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, bringing an estimated VND28 billion (USD1.3 million) to the locality. Of the total, international arrivals accounted for 9 percent.

The most attractive destinations in the city include Ninh Kieu wharf, Cai Rang floating-market, My Khanh tourism village, Thien Vien Truc Lam (Southern Truc Lam Zen Monastery), Binh Thuy communal house, Binh Thuy ancient house and Ong pagoda. As the largest pagoda in the Mekong Delta region, Thien Vien Truc Lam attracts about 4,500 tourists per day.

The municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism reported that in 2014, the local tourism sector earned VND1.17 trillion (nearly USD55 million) from serving over 1.3 million tourists.

Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre also saw a sharp increase in the number of foreign visitors and Vietnamese expatriates who desired to explore islets in Tien River, Thach Hai commune’s beaches, and craft villages.

In 2014, the locality welcomed over 900,000 visitors, with nearly 40 percent being foreigners, earning over VND560 billion or a 20 percent increase against 2013.

This year, the local tourism sector hopes to enjoy a higher growth thanks to the organisation of the 5th Coconut Festival in March and other important events.

Source: (CPV/VNA)