The cool spring air and festive atmosphere in the northern mountainous regions has attracted a large number of local and foreign visitors during the Tet Lunar New Year.
Saigon Tourist, the country's leading travel company, offered many Buddhist pilgrim tours to thousands of tourists to famous sacred sites such as Yen Tu in Quang Ninh Province, Huong Pagoda in Hanoi, Bai Dinh Pagoda in Trang An tourist area in Ninh Binh Province, Linh Ung Pagoda in the central city of Da Nang, Chua Ba Temple in Chau Doc Town in the Mekong Delta Province of An Giang.
The first month of the Lunar New Year is an auspicious time to visit pagodas and temples to pray for a happy life, good luck and good health in the coming year. Pilgrimage tourism has recently become a part of modern Vietnamese culture and an attractive tourist package for foreigners.
The fresh air and cool climate of Da Lat resort town in the central highland province of Lam Dong and Ba Na hill in Da Nang is a hot favourite of many travellers.
Hoi An ancient town, mausoleums and royal tombs together with pagodas and temples in Hue have also received a huge number of holiday-makers.
Saigon Tourist has also brought visitors to explore traditional daily activities of people in the Mekong Delta provinces.
The company offered a package service for a group of 150 international visitors who travelled to Ho Chi Minh City for a conference on inborn heart disease organized by Children Hospital No.1 on January 12-13.
In addition, Saigon tourist received 2,000 passengers and crew on cruise ship Costa Classica which arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on January 12. Ho Chi Minh City is one of the destinations of the trans-Viet tour, HCMC-Nha Trang-Da Nang- Ha Long from January 12-17.
Saigon Tourist has offered new kinds of travel packages such as budget IKO travel (economy); Premium travel and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions).
According to travel companies, first days of Lunar New Year see a huge number of visitors from Ho Chi Minh City travel to domestic destinations and foreign countries.
Saigon Tourist offered more than 150 tours with over 12,000 travellers, presenting a year on year increase of 20 percent.
Viet travel serviced more than 30,000 tourists, up 30 percent over the same period last year.
TST Tourist took over 2,000 visitors to Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phan Thiet, Con Dao, Phu Quoc and foreign countries such as Cambodia, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, China, South Korea, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
In related news, tourist areas in the Mekong Delta region such as Vinh Sang in Vinh Long Province; My Khanh and Tay Do in Can Tho City; Ba Chua Xu Temple, Nui Cam and Nguyen Van Thoai in An Giang Province; and traditional craft villages for confectionary and jam making in Tien Giang and Ben Tre provinces were overcrowded with tourists.
)
)
