Tourism booms in South, Central during Tet festival

Visitors to Tu Duc Tomb in the Hue ancient capital

Ho Chi Minh City 's leading tour companies, including Saigontourist, Vietravel, Fiditourist and Cho Lon, said they saw a far greater number of domestic tourists this season, as living standards have risen substantially.

Saigontourist served about 15,000 tourists while its leading competitor, Vietravel, attracted 7,000 tourists to its local tours.

With costs ranging from VND2 million ($130) to VND4 million ($260), tours to Phu Quoc Island and the Central Highlands destinations of Buon Ma Thuot and Kon Tum were popular this Tet, particularly with many overseas Vietnamese returning to the country to celebrate Tet.

Over 50,000 visitors flocked to the Central Highlands resort city of Da Lat last week.

Beaches in Binh Thuan province greeted about 150,000 tourists, including 30,000 foreign visitors, mostly Russian, Japanese, Korean and Chinese.

Central Da Nang city attracted 47,300 foreign visitors this season, an increase of 20pct compared to last year. And according to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thua Thien – Hue province, around 5,000 foreign visitors visited Hue daily this past week.

As in prior years, many Ho Chi Minh City residents escaped to the seaside in nearby Vung Tau, which reported about 400,000 visitors during the week.

For holidaymakers who stayed closer to home, entertainment centres like the Suoi Tien Tourist Site, Dam Sen Park and Ky Hoa Park in Ho Chi Minh City also presented live music and comedy shows and dragon dance performances. Suoi Tien site alone attracted 61,000 visitors last week, mostly those from neighbouring provinces, an increase of 21pct over last year.