Vietnam’s former capital to see tourist bonanza in Tet

The number of tourists for the upcoming Tet is 15 percent higher than last year’s holiday, the Thua Thien – Hue Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said Saturday on its website.

Hue is the capital city of Thua Thien – Hue.

There will be 40,000 international visitors among them, or 55 percent of the total figure, according to the department.

The estimate is projected for the ten-day period from Feb 15 to 24, or the 27th day of the current lunar year to the sixth day of the next lunar year.

Today is the 28th day of the lunar year, meaning Tet, the country’s largest public holiday, is only three days away.

Hue, known for many tourist attractions including the UNESCO-recognized Complex of Hue Monuments, is expected to generate a total of VND175 billion (US$8.16 million) from tourist spending during the holiday.

The four- and five-star hotels across the city reported an average occupancy rate of 65 percent, and three-star facilities, more than 45 percent, according to the tourism department.

The rate for five-star hotel from the second to fifth day of the next lunar year is as high as 80 percent, the department noted.

The central province promises to treat its visitors to a wide range of special festive activities during Tet.

The Complex of Hue Monuments will open for free to visitors in the first three days of the Lunar New Year, according to the site’s management board.

The Complex of Hue Monuments is located in and around Hue City in the geographical center of Vietnam and with easy access to the sea, UNESCO says on its website.

Established as the capital of unified Vietnam in 1802, Hue was not only the political but also the cultural and religious center under the Nguyen Dynasty from 1802 to 1945, the UN agency adds.

The complex was inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in December 1993.

The provincial tourism department said it is cooperating with relevant agencies to strictly watch over the tourism activities in Hue during the holiday, in order to prevent tourists from being overcharged by service providers.

The department also launched a hotline so that tourists can timely report their situation to authorities.