Hanoi needs comprehensive tourism product development

Hanoi (VNA) – Branching out tourism products is necessary to lure more tourists to the capital city of Hanoi, heard a tourism meeting held by the municipal People’s Committee on April 6.

Hanoi has more than 5,000 historic cultural relic sites, including those recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) like the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long and a system of 82 stone steles at the Temple of Literature 1,350 craft villages and various non-tangible cultural heritages.

However, the city lacks international-scale entertainment zones and typical tourism packages to compete with neighbouring countries.

Creating new products and renewing available resources will help build Hanoi into a high-quality destination, said Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Tourism projects have been brought to the city while further infrastructure and human resource development is needed to revitalise tourism sites like Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and eco-tourism sites, Tuan stressed.

Nguyen Tien Dat, Deputy Director of TransViet Tourism Company, suggested adding cultural activities to pedestrian-only areas around Hoan Kiem Lake.

Local people should be encouraged to wear Ao Dai (traditional long dress) and fashion designers can organise Ao Dai show in the areas, he said, adding that a cultural historic space should be set up through exhibitions of photos, vehicles and costumes.

Hanoi should zone off key tourism areas like Malaysia did, with Kinabalu a major eco-tourism and Kuala Lumpur a place for meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition, entertainment and shopping tourism.

The city leaders agreed to support enterprises, organisations and individuals to develop tourism in the city.-VNA