Hanoi to strengthen presence on global tourism map

For the sixth consecutive year, Hanoi has been honoured at the World Travel Awards in 2024, often referred to as the "Oscars" of the travel industry. This year, Hanoi was recognised in three significant categories: Asia's Leading City Destination, Asia's Leading Short Break Destination, and Vietnam's Leading Cultural City Destination.

City leaders have outlined a clear strategy with actionable steps to build Hanoi's tourism brand. A core focus has been placed on fostering the capital’s cultural industries.

A testament to this is the Hanoi Creative Design Festival, which featured a variety of panel discussions and interactive exhibitions at Hanoi’s architectural heritage sites, attracting over 30,000 visitors during its week-long run from November 9-17.

Similarly, the inaugural Hanoi Lotus Festival, held in the cultural and creative space of Tay Ho in July, opened new avenues for leveraging festivals to develop the cultural industry.

Most recently, the 2024 Hanoi Culture and Cuisine Festival, held from November 29 to December 1, drew nearly 11,000 attendees. These events exemplify Hanoi's ambition to establish itself as Vietnam's "City of Festivals" and a creative hub for the region.

Visitors at the Temple of Literature, Hanoi

As of the end of November, Hanoi had welcomed 5.67 million international visitors, surpassing the 2024 target of 5.5 million and marking a 35.8 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2023. Among these, 3.99 million were international visitors staying overnight. Domestic arrivals were estimated at 19.66 million, up 6.3 per cent on-year.

Despite these achievements, Hanoi's tourism sector faces challenges, according to city officials. These include underinvestment in cultural and historical assets, subpar service quality at some cultural and historical sites, and a lack of engaging experiential tourism products. Additionally, Hanoi has yet to establish policies to attract investment in unique cultural tourism products that reflect the city's identity.

To address these limitations, Hanoi Party Committee has directed preparations for the city’s 2025 New Year and Lunar New Year festivities. The emphasis is on swiftly designing cultural events and festivals that could evolve into Hanoi’s annual traditions. The city also plans to develop distinctive tourism products to promote Hanoi's image, culture, and people while boosting tourism, services, and trade to stimulate economic growth.

To make tourism a true economic spearhead, Hanoi aims to align tourism development with the conservation and promotion of its heritage and cultural identity. This approach focuses on green and sustainable growth. Additionally, the city is working to capitalise on its cultural uniqueness by creating competitive, high-value tourism products.

In 2025, Hanoi targets serving 35-39 million visitors, including 8-9 million international arrivals, with total tourism revenue projected to reach approximately VND151 trillion ($6.29 billion).

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