Hanoi (VNA) – UN Tourism hailed the role and contributions of Vietnam in the world's most important multilateral mechanism on tourism, affirming that the Southeast Asian nation has demonstrated its role as an active and responsible member.
On the sidelines of the UNESCO’s World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (Mondiacult) in Spain, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung held a working session with representatives from the UN Tourism.
Development of Vietnamese rural tourism brands
Beka Jakeli, Chief of External Relations at UN Tourism highlighted the significance of Hung’s working visit, saying that the Secretary-General and senior leaders of UN Tourism praised Vietnam’s role and contributions to the world's most important multilateral mechanism on tourism.
He affirmed that since joining the UN World Tourism Organisation (now UN Tourism) in 1981, Vietnam has been an active and responsible member, regularly hosting important events of the global tourism industry and UN Tourism.
In December 2024, the country successfully hosted two major UN Tourism events – the 2nd Annual Meeting of the Best Tourism Villages Network and the 1st International Conference on Rural Tourism.
These gatherings shaped global orientations for rural tourism, supported community-based tourism, strengthened links between tourism and agriculture, and contributed to rural transformation while creating sustainable livelihoods, especially for women, in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Hung affirmed that Vietnam is interested in strengthening cooperation with UN Tourism. He also recommended that the viewpoint and orientation for developing cooperation between Vietnam and UN Tourism should focus on utilising and promoting available resources to maximise the effectiveness of cooperation.
The Vietnamese official expressed appreciation for UN Tourism’s close coordination in organising the first International Conference on Rural Tourism in December last year in Quang Nam. He reiterated Vietnam’s view that “strong villages and communes make a strong, prosperous, and resilient nation”.
He also noted the country’s ambition to build rural tourism brands, including Best Tourism Villages recognised by UN Tourism, in line with global trends in green and responsible tourism, contributing to promoting sustainable development of countries and the international community.
Long-term cooperation strategy
At Mondiacult, the Vietnamese delegation introduced its model of integrating tourism and culture in Ninh Binh’s Trang An landscape complex, which was praised internationally, with several countries expressing interest in replicating the approach.
Vietnam has successfully navigated unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and has demonstrated a strong recovery, Hung said.
The country set to welcome 22 to 23 million international visitors by 2025. Tourism has become a key contributor to the national economy and is considered a leading sector for growth.
Vietnam and UN Tourism agreed to expand cooperation in medical and wellness tourism, planning following Vietnam’s recent administrative boundary adjustments, digital promotion and technological innovation, as well as support for revising the Tourism Law./.
