The annual Spring Calligraphy Festival, underway at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam from February 9-25, is part of a series of events in Hanoi to celebrate Tet festival, the Vietnamese New Year. Illustrative image. (Photo: ANTD) Hanoi (VNA) – The number of international touriststo the capital city of Hanoi are estimated to rise by 30 percent to 125,000people during the week-long Tet (Vietnamese New Year) festival, according tothe municipal Department of Tourism.
Most of the foreign visitors came from China, theRepublic of Korea, Japan, the United States, France, Germany, Australia,Malaysia and Thailand.
The figure brought the total number of visitors to thecity during the Tet holidays from February 14-20 to nearly 375,000, an increaseof 13 percent from the same period last year. The figure included 250,000domestic travellers, up 6 percent year on year.
The local tourism industry estimated to earn more than1.28 trillion VND (56.5 million USD) during the biggest holiday of the year, up19 percent year on year.
Most visitors flocked to the city’s popular attractions,like Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Huong Son landscapecomplex (also known as the Huong Pagoda), Ngoc Son Temple in the heart of HoanKiem Lake, Van Mieu (the Temple of Literature) and Quoc Tu Giam (the firstuniversity in Vietnam) and the Vietnam National Villages for Ethnic Culture andTourism, which host a series of art performances and cultural activities tocelebrate the traditional New Year.
Most notable is the annual Spring Calligraphy Festivalwhich is underway at Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam from February 9-25. About 63calligraphers sit in bamboo tents, wearing ao dai (long robes), and perform thewriting, following the traditions of the past.
Most of four- and five-star hotels in Hanoi have cheeredthe Lunar New Year festival with a number of special celebration events heldfor their guests. For example, the Sofitel Legend Metropole’s Tet Market, alsoknown as “Tet Ha Thanh”, which recreated a bustling Hanoian market wherevisitors can enjoy a range of Tet holiday foods. Other hotels, like Pan Pacificand Apricot, hosted count-down and New Year’s Eve parties for their guests.-VNA
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