The number of international tourists to the capital city of Ha Noi are estimated to rise by 30 percent to 125,000 people during the week-long Tet (Vietnamese New Year) festival, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.
The annual Spring Calligraphy Festival, underway at Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam
from February 9-25, is part of a series of events in Ha Noi to celebrate Tet festival, the Vietnamese New Year
Most of the foreign visitors came from China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, the United States, France, Germany, Australia, Malaysia and Thailand.
The figure brought the total number of visitors to the city during the Tet holidays from February 14-20 to nearly 375,000, an increase of 13 percent from the same period last year. The figure included 250,000 domestic travellers, up 6 percent year on year.
The local tourism industry estimated to earn more than 1.28 trillion VND (56.5 million USD) during the biggest holiday of the year, up 19 percent year on year.
Most visitors flocked to the city’s popular attractions, like Viet Nam Museum of Ethnology, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Huong Son landscape complex (also known as the Huong Pagoda), Ngoc Son Temple in the heart of Hoan Kiem Lake, Van Mieu (the Temple of Literature) and Quoc Tu Giam (the first university in Viet Nam) and the Viet Nam National Villages for Ethnic Culture and Tourism, which host a series of art performances and cultural activities to celebrate the traditional New Year.
Most notable is the annual Spring Calligraphy Festival which is underway at Van Mieu - Quoc Tu Giam from February 9-25. About 63 calligraphers sit in bamboo tents, wearing ao dai (long robes), and perform the writing, following the traditions of the past.
Most of four- and five-star hotels in Ha Noi have cheered the Lunar New Year festival with a number of special celebration events held for their guests. For example, the Sofitel Legend Metropole’s Tet Market, also known as “Tet Ha Thanh”, which recreated a bustling Hanoian market where visitors can enjoy a range of Tet holiday foods. Other hotels, like Pan Pacific and Apricot, hosted count-down and New Year’s Eve parties for their stayers.