India, VN tourism bodies link up

In addition to investment and trading, there is also huge potential for cooperation between Vietnam and India in tourism, a conference heard in HCM City on January 13.
India, VN tourism bodies link up ảnh 1V​o T​an Th​anh, director of the VCCI’s HCM City office, told a conference on January 13 that there is huge potential for co-operation in tourism between Vietnam and India (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) -  In addition to investment and trading, there is also huge potential for cooperation between Vietnam and India in tourism, a conference heard in HCM City on January 13.
 
 Vo Tan Thanh, director of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s HCM City office, said the number of Indian travellers to Vietnam increased by nearly 3.5 times in the 2010-15 period to more than 60,000 last year.
 
 India has also become an increasingly attractive travel destination for Vietnamese, especially for pilgrimages, with around 12,000 Vietnamese visiting the country each year, he said.
 
 “Vietnam and India have similar spiritual and cultural features, and therefore Indian spiritual tourism destinations like Bodhgaya and Varanasi attract a lot of Vietnamese visitors.”
 
 India has also emerged as a medical tourism destination alongside Thailand and Singapore, with the sector growing by 27 percent annually, according to Thanh. 
 
 Smita Pant, the Indian consul general in HCM City, said India has become a medical tourism hub for patients from around the world seeking affordable, world-class and professional medical care, with three million visiting the country last year. 
 
 Indian medical tourism is not only known for modern medicine, but also for its 5,000-year-old medicine systems using herbs, massages and various other forms of therapy for many illnesses, she said.
 
 R K Suman, assistant director at the Indian Tourist office in Singapore, said apart from heritage and cultural attractions, India offers niche tourism products like adventure trips, medical, MICE and spirituality tourism, wellness, yoga, golf and others.
 
 India wants to welcome more Vietnamese visitors, he said, adding that Vietnamese passport holders can easily apply for India visas via its electronic tourist visa system.
 Despite the potential, the number of Vietnamese and Indian visitors visiting each other’s countries remains modest, the conference heard.
 
 Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the HCM City Department of Tourism, blamed this on the lack of information about each other’s markets. 
 
 To increase the exchange of visitors between HCM City and India in the near future, the city will constantly improve the quality of is tourism products and services and promote them, he said.
 
 “We will also encourage people to go and discover ‘Incredible India’.” 
 
 His department and some tourism companies will attend a tourism fair in Mumbai in February to promote HCM City in India, he said. 
 
 Thanh suggested that the two countries should operate more direct flights to each other’s major destinations, develop suitable products for visitors, improve culinary services, simplify entry and exit procedures, and enhance cooperation in tourism promotion.
 
 The conference was a good opportunity for businesses from both sides to meet, identify business opportunities, develop travel links, strengthen tourism exchanges, delegates agreed.
 
 The conference titled Spiritual, Wellness and Medical Tourism to India was organised by the Indian consulate in HCM City and the VCCI. — VNA
VNA

See more

The Tet holiday records a surge in tourists to localities. (Photo: NDO)

Vietnam's tourism sector booms during Tet holiday

During the nine-day holiday, localities across the country welcomed nearly 12.5 million domestic travellers, a 19% increase from the same period in 2024. Several provinces and cities recorded tourism revenues exceeding 1 trillion VND.

Various activities will be held in Ho Chi Minh City to welcome the Lunar New Year. (Photo: Vietnamnet)

Cultural festivals take centre stage in Tet tourism push

Vietnam is set to welcome a surge of domestic and international tourists during the 2025 Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday as destinations nationwide are preparing to showcase their distinctive cultural festivals and traditional celebrations.

International visitors arrive at Da Nang Port (Photo: VNA)

Da Nang ready to welcome over 456,000 visitors during Tet holiday

The central beach city of Da Nang is expected to receive over 456,000 visitors, of them more than 221,000 international, during the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday (from January 25 to February 2), a year-on-year rise of 13.5%, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.

Representatives from the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh at the awarding ceremony (Photo: baotravinh.vn)

Tra Vinh’s Con Chim site wins ASEAN Community-based Tourism Award

The Con Chim (bird islet) community-based tourism site in Chau Thanh district, the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh has won the ASEAN Community-based Tourism Award (CBT-ASEAN) 2023 at a ceremony held in Malaysia, according to the provincial department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

Foreign guests enjoy traditional Tet cuisine. (Photo: VNA)

Tet-themed tours luring foreign holiday-markers

The diversification of cultural, historical, and experiential tourism products, especially those offering tourist the experience of celebrating Lunar New Year (Tet) like locals, has been praised by international visitors, according to insiders.

After arriving in Quang Ninh, visitors will explore Ha Long Bay, visit the city, visit some cultural and historical relics and neighbouring localities. (Photo: VNA)

Over 1,200 foreign tourists arrive in Ha Long on cruises

Two luxury cruise ships, Seabourn Encore and Silver Whisper, have docked at Ha Long International Cruise Port, bringing more than 1,200 international tourists to Quang Ninh province, home to UNESCO-recognised natural heritage Ha Long Bay.

In 2024, Yen Bai province introduces 16 new tourism products recognized and put into operation (Photo: VNA)

Yen Bai transforms natural heritage into valuable assets

The northwestern mountainous province of Yen Bai, which has emerged as an attractive destination, plans to turn its heritage into an "asset," by continuing to implement comprehensive policies to support tourism development and further invest in creating new tourism offerings in 2025.