According to the HCMC Department of Tourism on February 12 (on the third day of the first month of the lunar calendar), the city received about 75,000 international visitors, up 15.4 percent compared to the same period last year. Tourist and entertainment areas welcomed 1.8 million holidaymakers, presenting an increase of 5.9 percent compared to the same period last year.
Travel firms offered domestic and foreign tour packages to hundreds of thousands of visitors during the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.
A large number of people enjoyed sightseeing bus tours to explore the city's sights with Hop on Hop off Bus Tours on the second and third days of the first month of the lunar calendar (February 11-12).
Anh Viet Hop on Hop off Vietnam Co. Ltd. offers a night sight-seeing double-decker bus tour from 11 pm to 7 am the next morning, offering visitors an opportunity to travel through 30 routes and nearly 20 tourist attractions in the city such as Bui Vien Street, Nguyen Hue street, Ben Thanh market, or Notre Dame cathedral.
The bus tour is also launched in Hanoi, offering tourists an additional way to explore the capital city’s cultural and historical landmarks and scenic attractions.
In addition, the double-decker water bus operating along the Saigon River also attracted many visitors. The boat named Saigon WaterGo allows passengers to enjoy panoramic views of the southern metropolis.
The tour departs from the Bach Dang Waterbus Station and sails past major landmarks likely Nha Rong (Dragon House) Wharf, Bitexco and Landmark 81 skyscrapers, Ba Son Bridge, and other iconic architectural works of the city.
Mr. Tran The Dung, General Director of Vietluxtour Travel, said that this Lunar New Year, the company offered visitors hundreds of domestic and foreign tour packages.
The company’s inner city tours, such as“Biet Dong Sai Gon” (Sai Gon Rangers), “District 1 - The Colors of the Night”, "Memories of Saigon - Cho Lon" and “From Saigon in the Past to HCMC today” drew many domestic and international tourists, he said.
The company also launches a tour to provide foreign tourists an opportunity to experience the Vietnamese traditional celebrations and customs of the Tet holiday. Visitors will have a chance to enjoy Tet dishes, such as banh tet (cylindrical sticky rice cake), banh chung (square sticky rice cake), thit kho trung (braised pork with eggs), pickled vegetables, and receive lucky money envelopes.
Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden, Suoi Tien Tourist Area, and Dam Sen Cultural Park also received a huge number of visitors.
The HCMC Tourism Department coordinated with the People’s Committee of District 8 and relevant departments to buy more than 9,000 remaining unsold flower pots of traders participating in the floating flower market Tren Ben Duoi Thuyen (On the wharf, in the boats) to offer disadvantaged households and decorate flower streets in the city.
The program with a total cost of VND600 million (about US$24,000) from the social mobilization resources aims to share difficulties with businesses and support them with a warm and happy Tet.
The HCMC’s unique floating flower market took place on January 25- February 9 (on the 15th-30th days of the last lunar month) on the Tau Hu-Ben Nghe canal along the street of Ben Binh Dong in District 8, attracting nearly 654 stalls and boats filled with ornamental trees and flowers of flower gardens and businesses coming from the Mekong Delta provinces.
