Tourism destinations in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and the Mekong Delta Hau Giang province received a large number of local and foreign visitors during the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, Vietnam’s most significant annual holiday.

Thua Thien-Hue welcomed nearly 50,000 tourists from February 15-24, 65 percent of whom were foreigners.

The most popular destination among visitors was still the complex of monuments in the Hue ancient imperial city with 30,000 tourists arriving within the first three days of the lunar New Year (February 19-21).

The City’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organised numerous activities and events to attract visitors, including a fireworks display, film festival, art performances, and other traditional games.

Wrestling festivals in Thu Le and Phu Mau commune and Sinh village, the “Cau Ngu” (whale worship) and “Dua Ghe” (junk racing) in Lang Co and Phu Loc district, and a myriad of other spectacular games will be held through February.

As many as 365,000 arrivals were counted at tourism sites and beaches in Ba Ria-Vung Tau from February 20-23, a 27 percent increase from the same period last year.

Hau Giang also saw a strong rise in the number of visitors to the province during the nine-day Tet holiday, a 30 percent increase during the extended holiday week compared to normal.

In the recent years, the province has focused on green tourism, hoping to attract 150,000 tourists in 2015.

Thua Thien-Hue, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Hau Giang are intensifying their promotion activities to boost their international image and attract increasing numbers of travellers.

They have also focused on establishing links with other provinces across the nation to design new tours and diversify products.-VNA