Ha Long attracts tourists at the beginning of the new year.

Possessing abundant tourism resources, Ha Long City is a favorite destination for tourists in the early days of the new year, with nearly 222,000 visitors coming for sightseeing and relaxation. This is one of the driving forces for the city to realize its goal of welcoming 11.5 million tourists in 2025, aiming to build an international tourism center and a leading national tourism destination.

International tourists at Ha Long International Cruise Port before departing for a tour of Ha Long Bay.

In the early days of the new year, Ha Long Bay welcomed a large number of tourists. Over the nine days from January 25th to February 2nd (corresponding to the 26th day of the 12th lunar month to the 5th day of the Lunar New Year), Ha Long Bay received over 62,200 visitors, a 36% increase compared to the same period during the Lunar New Year of the Year of the Dragon. Of these, 45,600 were international visitors. Notably, this year's Tet holiday saw a dramatic increase in overnight stays; many cruise ships were fully booked, with an average occupancy rate of 80-90%. Port companies, cruise ship operators, and travel agencies organized numerous activities to provide visitors with memorable experiences of the traditional Vietnamese Tet holiday.

Jenny Alken, a tourist from Iceland, shared: "We spent 10 days in Vietnam and stayed in Ha Long for 3 days and 2 nights. Arriving in Ha Long during the Lunar New Year, we participated in many New Year's celebrations at the hotel, received lucky red envelopes, and learned more about the unique culture of the country. We also spent time exploring Ha Long Bay; the scenery was truly beautiful, and the weather was especially pleasant and refreshing. This will definitely be our favorite destination in Vietnam."

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Comrade Pham Duc An, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, along with leaders of various units and Ha Long City, welcomed and presented flowers to the first cruise ship group to arrive in Ha Long. In addition, the People's Committee of Ha Long City and other units also organized welcoming ceremonies for the first tourist groups of the new year at Tuan Chau International Cruise Port and several hotels in the area.

Tourists enjoy the spring season and take souvenir photos at Sun World Ha Long amusement park.

The weather in the early days of the new spring was quite pleasant, making it convenient for tourists to enjoy their spring outings. Especially at cultural and spiritual sites such as Long Tien Pagoda, Duc Ong Tran Quoc Nghien Temple, and Cai Lan Temple, thousands of locals and tourists visited and worshipped. To ensure safety, the management boards of these sites have added signage, reinforced fire prevention and control systems, and increased security personnel. At many sites, traditional cultural activities such as calligraphy blessings and picking lucky branches were also organized, providing enjoyable experiences for locals and tourists.

Besides, attractions and entertainment venues are also popular with many tourists. At Sun World Ha Long amusement park, this year, the park has created many cultural experiences related to Tet (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) by setting up a "Banh Chung Corner" at the Fuji restaurant, allowing visitors to have the opportunity to personally wrap mini banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) and incorporating it into various New Year's celebrations. According to Mr. Tran Van Minh, Director of Sun World Ha Long amusement park, this year the park is organizing many special cultural shows such as: "Around Tet Viet Nam" with puppet shows, the "True Tet Viet Nam" parade, and lively lion and dragon dances to celebrate the New Year, and calligraphers giving out auspicious calligraphy. Especially on the first day of Tet, the first 100 visitors to Sun World Ha Long received lucky red envelopes. Throughout the Tet holiday, visitors riding the Queen Cable Car also received food vouchers featuring many delicious traditional dishes.

Along with preparing well for welcoming and serving tourists at tourist destinations, during the Lunar New Year holiday, the city and its wards and communes also organized many unique cultural and artistic activities, festivals, entertainment, and sports events to celebrate the Party and the spring, spring fairs, and create traditional cultural spaces... serving the needs of people celebrating the New Year, as well as attracting tourists and providing them with many attractive and unique experiences. According to statistics, during the 9-day Lunar New Year holiday, Ha Long City welcomed approximately 222,000 tourists, an increase of 40% compared to the same period last year; of which, international tourists increased by about 65%. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at approximately 653 billion VND, an increase of nearly 90%.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Long City, said: In 2025, the city aims to welcome 11.5 million tourists, including more than 3 million international visitors. To achieve this goal, the city will accelerate the implementation of two projects: "Ha Long - City of Flowers" and "Ha Long - City of Festivals"; focus on restoring and preserving historical sites to create new tourism products, namely spiritual tourism. In addition, the city will also revitalize existing tourism products; develop new tourism products, especially those in Ha Long Bay. Along with that, it will ensure a favorable business environment for tourism in the area; strengthen the innovation of promotion and advertising activities to suit new market trends and developments, as well as promote tourism development linkages between Ha Long and other localities within and outside the province.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/ha-long-hut-khach-dau-nam-moi-3342759.html