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Hanoi surpasses Bangkok, Tokyo to become Asia's Best Culinary City Destination (Source: VOV)
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The Vietnamese capital is widely known as a rising star on the culinary tourism map, as its restaurants such as Hibana by Koki, Tam Vi, and Gia, all earned their first Michelin stars in the Michelin Guide 2023 and successfully retained them this year.
Earlier, Hanoi surpassed strong rivals such as Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia and Taipei of Taiwan (China), to win the Asia’s Best Emerging Culinary City title at the recently held World Culinary Awards 2023.
The award continues to affirm the attraction of Hanoi cuisine among international tourists.
Most recently, the capital city ranked among the top 15 culinary destinations in the world as voted by readers of the world's largest travel guidance platform TripAdvisor in August.
Launched in 1994 the World Travel Awards system aims to honour excellent units and brands in the tourism industry.
In the 2024 edition, Dubai won the World's Best Culinary Destination.
South Africa was announced as the winner of Africa's Best Culinary Destination, while Thailand claimed the Asia's Best Culinary Destination 2024 title.
Europe’s Best Culinary Destination 2024 went to Italy, whilst Peru took the lead in Latin-America’s Best Culinary Destination 2024 category.
Vietnam welcomes over 12.7 million foreign tourists in nine months
Vietnam welcome nearly 1.3 million international visitors in September, VNA cited the latest report from the General Statistics Office (GSO).
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| Tourists at the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex in Ninh Binh province (Photo: VNA) |
The figure brought the number of international visitors in the first nine months of 2024 to over 12.7 million, up 43 % compared to last year's same period.
Air arrivals accounted for nearly 10.8 million, representing 84.9% of the total, and representing an increase of 38.7% year on year. Land arrivals reached nearly 1.8 million, accounting for 13.8%, up by 68.1%.
Breakdown by country, the Republic of Korea remained the largest source market in September, with over 355,000 visitors coming to Vietnam, followed by China with more than 257,000 visitors. Other top markets included Taiwan (China), Japan and the US.
Overall, in the first nine months of the year, the lion's share of tourists to Vietnam is from Asia with over 10.12 million arrivals (up by 47.7% year on year), followed by Europe (over 1.4 million arrivals, up by nearly 40%), Americas (736,600 arrivals, up 7.9%), Oceania (391,300 arrivals, up by 25.8%), and Africa (38,800 arrivals, with the largest increase of 90.7% over the previous year).
The number of Vietnamese people travelling abroad in September 2024 was 421,800, a decrease of 15.9% compared to the same period last year.
In the nine months, the number of Vietnamese people going abroad reached 4.1 million, an increase of 6.1% year on year.
At the end of September, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MOCST) successfully carried out a tourism and cinema promotion programme in the United States from September 23 to 25, under the theme “Vietnam- A New Destination for World Cinema”.
The programme showcased Vietnam tourism destinations and filming location potential, attracting Hollywood studios to shoot films in Vietnam. These films are expected to generate international media attention, promoting tourism and attracting more visitors to the country.
Despite the decrease in visitor numbers in September, the tourism industry is determined to meet the goal of attracting 17-18 million international visitors this year, as the last three months are the peak season for international arrivals in Vietnam.
"Based on these factors, the goal of welcoming 18 million international visitors this year is achievable," said Nguyen Le Phuc, Deputy Director of the National Tourism Authority of Vietnam.
Phuc also remarked that the tourism industry in the northern region is recovering fast from the impacts of the super typhoon hitting the country in early September.
India is also among the fastest growing markets to Vietnam, especially high-profile events by the Indian elites, and many promotion campaigns in the south Asian country have been carried out.
Vietnam Phở Festival promotes trade and tourism linkages in the RoK
According to VOV, a festival to introduce Vietnamese Phở (noodles) in the Republic of Korea (RoK) took place in Seoul on October 5 - 6 as part of efforts to enhance trade and tourism connectivity between the two countries.
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| Vietnam Phở Festival promotes trade and tourism linkages in the RoK (Source: VOV) |
The festival was designed to help popularise Vietnamese cuisine, with a specific focus on Phở - a popular Vietnamese dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat (typically beef or chicken).
Addressing the functions, Vu Ba Phu, director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), emphasised that like Korean kimchi, Vietnamese Phở has proved popular worldwide, and the festival presented an opportunity for Koreans, Vietnamese nationals, and international friends to gain greater insights into Vietnamese culture, history, and cuisine through the country's iconic dish.
“Through the festival, we do hope that Korean consumers and businesses will know more about famous Vietnamese Phở brands,” said Phu.
At the event, visitors also explored other products made from rice, including noodles, rice paper, shrimp chips, and seafood.
In particular, a space was set up to help strengthen trade exchanges between Korean and Vietnamese businesses with the support of the Vietnamese Trade Office in the RoK.
Vietrade is fully committed to supporting businesses of the two countries in seeking trade and investment opportunities in the fields of agriculture, aquaculture, food processing, and many other fields, Phu stressed.
For his part, Pham Huy Binh, chairman of the Board of Directors of Saigontourist Group, stated that the company has pledged to provide the local community and international tourists in Seoul with the best possible Vietnamese cultural and culinary experiences, as well as promoting tourism exchanges between the two countries.
Quang Ninh gets ready for busy cruise season
With the cruise season usually starting in October and ending in April, travel agencies in the northeastern coastal province of Quang Ninh have made thorough preparations to welcome cruise ships that are expected to bring thousands of international tourists to local destinations, reported VOV.
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| Quang Ninh gets ready for busy cruise season (Source: VOV) |
According to the Quang Ninh Department of Tourism, from October 18 to December 30, the locality is scheduled to receive as many as 14 cruise ships. Among them are many large ships from world-famous cruise lines such as Costa Serena, Viking Orion, Seven Seas Explorer, Celebrity Solstice, Le Lapouser, Mein Schiff 6, Seabourn Encore, and Noordam.
Each cruise ship will bring around 2,000 to 3,500 foreign tourists to Ha Long city which is famous for Ha Long Bay, a world heritage site recognized twice by UNESCO.
Furthermore, there will be a total of 46 cruise ships docking at Ha Long International Cruise Port between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
Major cruise lines bringing 2,000 or more international tourists include Celebrity Solstice, MEDITERRANEA, Noordam, MSC Splendida, BRILLIANT LADY, Mein Schiff 6, Costa Serena, and Westerdam.
Pham Van Hiep, director of Ha Long International Cruise Port, said that after the severe impact of typhoon Yagi, cruise liners still have confidence in the facilities and service quality of the tourism industry in Quang Ninh province, thereby serving to affirm the potential and brand of Quang Ninh tourism among international friends.
Over the past nine months, Quang Ninh has greeted over 15.6 million visitors, including 2.6 million foreigners.
Local authorities have set the target to welcome 19 million visitors, including 3.5 million foreigners this year.
Oktoberfest brings unique German culture closer to Vietnamese people
Oktoberfest 2024 was held recently in the central city of Da Nang, bringing the unique German culture closer to Vietnamese people, reported VNA.
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| German artists perform at Oktoberfest 2024 in Da Nang city. (Photo: VNA) |
The October 4 event was co-hosted by the German Business Association (GBA), the Furama Resort Da Nang, and the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (AHK Vietnam), under the patronage of the German Embassy and Consulate General in Vietnam.
GBA Chairman Alexander Ziehe said GBA Oktoberfest has become an annual cultural event held in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang City, aiming to introduce the traditional German culture to Vietnamese people.
Next year will mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Germany, he said, elaborating that the bilateral strategic partnership has increasingly been strengthened across all fields, with cultural, economic, trade, and investment cooperation as a key pillar.
He went on to say that the festival is not only a cultural event but also an opportunity for German and Vietnamese businesses and organisations to explore collaboration opportunities in various sectors.
Over the past 30 years, GBA Oktoberfest has been the largest German cultural festival in Southeast Asia with over 10,000 visitors each year. It has also become a symbol of the enduring bilateral relationship between Germany and Vietnam.
This was the second time the festival had been held in Da Nang, promoting a friendly and hospitable Vietnam to German people.
Visitors to the event enjoyed the lively festive atmosphere of Bavaria region with performances by the famous O’zapft band from Germany and Austria, along with various entertainment activities, such as folk dances, traditional games, and raffle draws. Festival-goers were also treated to distinctive German cuisine, especially premium craft beer./.