Mekong Delta ramps up cultural, tourism events to hit visitor goals

Localities in the Mekong Delta are striving to improve the quality of cultural and tourism products through standout events, aiming to attract visitors in the remaining months of the year, contributing to Vietnam’s goal of welcoming 25 million international arrivals and 150 million domestic tourists in 2025.

Tourists visit an eco-tourism site in the U Minh Ha forest in Ca Mau province (Photo: VNA)
Tourists visit an eco-tourism site in the U Minh Ha forest in Ca Mau province (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – Localities in the Mekong Delta are striving to improve the quality of cultural and tourism products through standout events, aiming to attract visitors in the remaining months of the year, contributing to Vietnam’s goal of welcoming 25 million international arrivals and 150 million domestic tourists in 2025.

Following administrative boundary adjustments, the regional localities with great tourism potential have quickly reassessed their strengths and cultural identities, planning a series of cultural, art, sports, and commercial events to showcase their potential, promote their image, attract visitors, and draw investors to explore tourism and business opportunities.

The People's Committee of Ca Mau province has announced that the Ca Mau Crab Festival will be held from November 16 to 22 at various locations throughout the province. The festival will showcase a variety of events and activities that highlight the cultural identity of this southernmost region. It will provide an opportunity for tourists, residents, and businesses to explore the culture, people, and landscape of Ca Mau.

2.jpg
Tourists watch the sunset on Bai Truong, Phu Quoc island, Kien Giang province (Photo: VNA)

The festival will also include the signing of cooperation agreements and trade exchanges for seafood and other local specialties, with a focus on Ca Mau crab as a key product.

The Can Tho River Culture Festival 2025 is set to take place in Can Tho city from December 27, 2025, to January 1, 2026. This festival is a key cultural and tourism event for the city and will feature a variety of activities that celebrate riverine and orchard culture, showcase ecological tourism products, present art performances, and highlight local culinary specialties. The festival aims to promote the unique river culture of the Mekong Delta, particularly that of Can Tho city, while also encouraging the sustainable use of river-based tourism resources.

The festival is expected to support the development of urban tour routes, enhance river tourism connections between Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, and other Mekong Delta provinces, and expand cross-border river tourism circuits linking countries along the Mekong River.

Meanwhile, the Dong Hoa Hiep Ancient Village Culture and Tourism Festival is set to take place from December 3 to 7 in Cai Be commune, Dong Thap province, highlighting the village’s heritage, handicrafts, and eco-tourism linked to agricultural production.

Additionally, the Sa Dec Flower and Ornamental Plant Festival 2025 is scheduled for December 27 to January 4 in Sa Dec ward of Dong Thap province, celebrating the village’s renowned floriculture, known as the “flower capital” of the Mekong Delta region.

The Mekong Delta localities not only organise standout events but also design and connect diverse itineraries, combining cultural and historical tours with immersive local experiences across the Delta, Ho Chi Minh City, and the Southeastern region, attracting both domestic and international visitors.

According to a representative from HCM City’s Department of Tourism, to enhance connectivity, the agency launched a new tour, starting from the southern metropolis, passing through Dong Thap and An Giang provinces, with many historical and cultural sites, border landmarks, and exploring trade activities at the Vietnam-Cambodia border gates.

Meanwhile, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vinh Long province Duong Hoang Sum said that Vinh Long is offering visitors multiple experiential routes under the motto “One route, three destinations,” highlighting the distinctive tourism resources of the three former provinces of Tra Vinh, Ben Tre, and Vinh Long before their mergers.

According to Nguyen Van Bay, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho city, the locality is stepping up promotion and connections with HCM City and other localities in the region, as well as key tourist destinations nationwide, including Hanoi, the Northwest, the Northeast, and the Central Highlands. Visitors are offered diverse experiences, from river ecotourism and cultural tours to historical sites and craft villages, to educational tourism and MICE tourism./.

VNA

See more

A view of the talkshow within the conference in Hue on December 12 to review and discuss strategic orientations for the 2023-2025 roadmap to reduce plastic waste in the local tourism sector. (Photo: VNA)

Hue accelerates shift toward green, low-plastic tourism models

Over the past three years, Hue tourism authorities have strengthened communication and advocacy for plastic waste reduction through 10 training sessions with 690 participants, “Coffee Talk” events, professional Zalo groups, and direct engagement with businesses. As a result, 102 enterprises and business households have signed commitments to reduce plastics, and 12 hotels have pioneered plastic-reduction practices.

The inaugural flight from New Delhi lands at Phu Quoc International Airport (Photo: Sun Group)

Phu Quoc welcomes new direct flights from India

Phu Quoc International Airport welcomed over 180 Indian travellers on a new direct flight from New Delhi on December 10, marking the start of a month-long flight series that will link the two destinations and bring a fresh wave of visitors to Vietnam’s pristine island.

Visitors pose for a photo at Ben Thanh Market in HCM City (Photo: VNA)

HCM City speeds up digital tourism to draw more travellers

Following its goal of building a friendly destination, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism is rolling out a range of local stimulus programmes, with a focus on bringing the city’s signature attractions closer to domestic and international visitors through digital platforms.

Foreign visitors are touched to receive meaningful gifts from their Vietnamese friends (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Vietnam welcomes more than 19 million international visitors in 11 months

A UN Tourism report highlighted Vietnam’s performance as one of the most notable recoveries worldwide. While tourism across the Asia–Pacific has rebounded to only around 90% of pre-COVID levels, Vietnam is among a select group of destinations, alongside Japan, recording rapid and sustained growth, it said.

Foreign visitors explore Hanoi’s old quarters by cyclo, admiring the city’s timeless beauty. (Photo: VNA)

Vietnam draws French holidaymakers during Christmas, New Year

Patrice Caradec, President of the Syndicate of French Tour-Operators (SETO), said the country has not attracted as many French tourists since COVID-19. As Vietnam reopened later than several Asian destinations, pent-up demand has surged with the full recovery of tourism. The “S-shaped” nation has now returned to pre-pandemic levels of French arrivals.

Tourists enjoy leisure activities around the Hoan Kiem Lake pedestrian zone. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi posts sharp rise in visitors, revenue

In December, the Hanoi tourism sector will focus on completing a project to reform the management, conservation and promotion of the Huong Son (Perfume Pagoda) Special National Relic Site; continue surveys on community-based, agricultural and night-time tourism offerings; and host the 2025 Hanoi Craft Village and Craft Street Cuisine and Tourism Festival. Preparations are also under way for participation in the National Green Tourism Forum in Lam Dong.

In November alone, the capital city receives 2.5 million visitors, an increase of 14.7% year-on-year (Photo: hanoimoi.vn)

Hanoi attracts nearly 31 million visitors in January-November

The city received 2.5 million visitors in November alone, up 14.7% from the same period in 2024. Of these, foreign tourist arrivals reached 851,100, rising 25%, while domestic tourists totalled 1.65 million, up 10%. Tourism revenue in November was estimated at 11.36 trillion VND, up 18.4%.