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Technology Transforms Tourist Behavior and Business Models Vietnam’s tourism industry recognizes the pivotal role of technology, specifically artificial intelligence (AI), in its sustainable development. This is especially prominent as the country aims to attract 22-23 million international visitors by 2025. Destinations are now enriched with augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies, along with smart interactive stations (TapQuest). These innovations offer visitors immersive and lifelike experiences. Many businesses have integrated AI across various operations, including hotel management, online booking, personalized itinerary planning, and optimized destination promotion. As a result, they can create targeted smart marketing strategies that resonate with the right potential customers. The National Museum of History has implemented an e-ticket system. Esperantotur and Service Joint Stock Company (Esperantotur) are leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies...

The cultural elements of Vietnam are deeply rooted in the worship of the Hung Kings, the tradition of preparing square sticky rice cakes and pounding round sticky rice cakes as offerings to ancestors, and the performance of Xoan singing. The Hung Kings’ Death Anniversary is held on the 10th day of the third lunar month, commemorating 18 generations of the Hung Kings, Vietnam’s national founders. This significant event, held nationwide, celebrates the legacy of the Hung Kings and their impact on the spiritual realm of the Vietnamese people, both at home and abroad. Nguyen Tien Khoi, Chairman of the Phu Tho Historical Science Association, emphasized the gratitude of the Vietnamese people towards the Hung Kings. This reverence has been passed down through generations, leading to the construction of temples on Nghia Linh Mountain for descendants to pay homage. Khoi stressed the importance of honoring one’s roots, citing the proverbs “When drinking water – remember the source” and “When...

Vietnam News Today (Apr. 24) notable headlines Vietnam attends 26th UN-INTOSAI symposium Vietnamese and Chinese localities seek stronger cooperation Vietnam’s economy shows gradual recovery: WB’s report Vietnamese and Lao PMs co-chair roundtable with ASEAN businesses and partners Dien Bien Phu veterans and war youth volunteers honored on 70th anniversary Government leader rejoices over sound strategic partnership with Indonesia ASEAN Future Forum 2024 wraps up in Hanoi Vietnam, RoK hold 11th defense policy dialogue PM hosts Chairman of Russian Federal Bar Association Vietnam attends 26th UN-INTOSAI symposium A delegation of the State Audit Office of Vietnam (SAV) led by Deputy Auditor General Nguyen Tuan Anh attended the 26th symposium co-organized by the United Nations (UN) and the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) in Vienna, Austria, as part of their working trip from April 15-21. The biennial event aimed to enhance the capacity of Sup...

Quang Phu Cau commune (Ung Hoa district) is currently a tourist destination sought after by many domestic and foreign tourists. The village has a tradition of making incense sticks, and visitors will not only witness the beautiful scenery but also learn about the profession of making incense that has been over 100 years old. Offering a glimpse into the authentic charm of Vietnam travel, a Quang Phu Cau tour will unveil the captivating essence of this destination. The colorful incense in Quang Phu Cau Incense Village. Photo: Khanh Long/VNP Quang Phu Cau commune has 6 villages including Xa Cau, Quang Nguyen, Phu Luong Thuong, Phu Luong Ha, Cau Bau, and Dao Tu, about 35km south of Hanoi center. Recently, Quang Phu Cau incense stick village has become a famous tourist destination on the outskirts of Hanoi because of its peaceful beauty and the vibrant colors of incense sticks with beautiful shapes. To truly experience Quang Phu Cau, tourists should come on sunny days, when ...

Vietnam logged over 4.6 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year, up 72% year-on-year, and 3.2% compared to the figure recorded in the same period of 2019 before the Covid-19 outbreak, the General Statistics Office (GSO) announced on March 29, VNA reported. The GSO attributed the result to favorable visa policies, tourism stimulus programmes, and efforts made by local authorities and the sector. Among the foreign arrivals, 83.6% have travelled to Vietnam by air, 13.5% by road and 2.9% by sea. Revenue from accommodation and food services in the first quarter is estimated at VND 174.8 trillion (USD 6.98 billion), and from travel and tourism activities at VND 14.1 trillion (over USD 575 million), up 46.3% year-on-year. In the period, 1.2 million Vietnamese people travelled abroad, a year-on-year rise of 11.5%. In March alone, nearly 1.6 million international tourists have visited Vietnam, leading to a month-on-month increase of 4.4%. Photo: Thanh...

Vietnam defends world aerobic championship 2023 The Vietnamese team of five won the World Aerobic Cup 2023 championship in Tokyo, Japan, on April 23. Photo courtesy of MeloGym Vietnam retained its crown at the World Aerobic Cup 2023 in Japan on April 23 for the battle of the five teams. The Vietnamese gymnasts scored 19,844 points to win the tournament. France and host Japan were the runners-up with 19,167 and 18,544 points, respectively. In the battle of three teams, Vietnam won the second place with 19,600 points, 285 points less than the champion France. Vietnam also won a second place in the pairs competition and two third places in the single male and single female categories. After the 2023 World Aerobic Cup held in Japan’s capital Tokyo from April 20-24, the Vietnamese gymnastics team will compete in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia. Ship examination ex-official prosecuted for bribery and corruption On April 23, HCM City police charged Nguyen Tuan Anh, depu...

Half a million colorful light-emitting diode (LED) lights have been installed over a sizable part of Bach Dang Wharf Park in Ho Chi Minh City to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Vietnam and Japan. Each country’s symbols and their relationship are reflected in the art lights that have been added to Bach Dang Wharf in District 1. The artwork depicts a garden of Sakura blossoms, the national flower of Japan, and lotus flowers on water which symbolize the traditional Vietnamese image, and the interaction between the two cultures. Bach Dang Wharf Park is one of the favorite destinations of locals and visitors.   The message reads “Vietnam and Japan work together to expand global outreach in the future”. Photo: Tuyet Nguyen/Mekong Environment Forum (MEF)  LED lights represent Sakura blossoms – the national flower of Japan. Photo: Tuyet Nguyen/MEF    Lotus flowers on blue background sy...

There are some kinds of seats used for short trips such as wooden benches, as well as soft, padded benches. For longer journeys involving overnight travel, visitors can select compartment with six berths, or a compartment with four more comfortable berths. Ticket prices cost between VND600,000 and VND1.8 million each for different itineraries. A French tourist is surprised at seeing many beautiful scenes out of the window. He quickly takes a photo featuring rice fields during the harvest season. The Hai Van pass is an outstanding landscape located on the north-south national route. A foreigner is eager to share a photo taken on the Hai Van pass with his friends. An expat shares that she chooses to travel from Hanoi to Da Nang by train as it has very comfortable places to rest. A group of foreigners are excited at sampling Vietnamese food whilst on the train. For short trips, foreign tourists often choo...

Photo Hanoi’23 is the first international art biennial to be held in the capital, reaffirming Hanoi’s determination to become the photography city of Asia. This event is jointly organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports and the French Institute in Vietnam to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-France relations. On this occasion, Thierry Vergon, Director of the French Institute in Vietnam, talks to T he Hanoi Times about the prospect of the event. Rendez-vous  of international photographers – Why did the French Institute initiate the Hanoi Biennale of Photography? Why photography? This idea began in 2020 for many reasons. First of all, it is a means to promote other cultural activities. Meanwhile, Vietnam is home to many good young photographers and famous photographers who inspire the public.  Given good responses from the public and cultural partners, we decided to organize the biennial event. The Biennale is very popular for p...

The municipal Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism on Friday morning held a press briefing to introduce activities in the framework of the fest this year. In particular, the 10th edition of the festival, themed ‘Preserving and promoting the values of southern folk cakes,’ will feature nearly 300 booths introducing folk cakes from 22 localities in Vietnam. The festival will see no booth of foreign artisans. It is expected to attract one million visitors, up some 200,000 over the ninth edition held last year. The festival will feature more night-time activities, including folk cake-making games, an  ao dai (Vietnamese traditional costume) performance, and art performance programs, Nguyen Minh Tuan, director of the Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said at the press conference. The city also required a hot-air balloon festival to be associated with the folk cake event, Tuan added. The festival last year attracted 800,000 visitors, bringing ove...