Hanoi, Vietnam Airlines sign cooperation agreement

The Hanoi People's Committee and Vietnam Airlines ink the cooperation deal to promote the capital city both nationally and globally

Under the agreement, the two sides will use their websites, in-flight entertainment screens, LED screens in Hanoi, publications, Vietnam Airlines branches worldwide and domestic and foreign events to promote each other.

They will also take part in tourism events at home and abroad, especially in markets where Vietnam Airlines has launched direct flights.

Joint efforts will be made to welcome farm and press delegations to Hanoi and other Vietnamese localities.

At the same time, tour packages to Hanoi and tourism promotions will be launched under the agreement to attract more domestic and foreign visitors to the city. 

Hanoi and Vietnam Airlines will also coordinate to hold national and international cultural and sporting events, particularly the Formula 1 Vietnam Grand Prix in April 2020, the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) and the 11th ASEAN Para Games (Para Games 11) in 2021.

The Formula 1 Vietnam Grand Prix will appear on Vietnam Airlines’ in-flight entertainment screens from April 3-5.

The municipal People’s Committee has also allowed Vietnam Airlines to use the area around Ly Thai To Square to hold events introducing products and services.

The two sides have assigned the municipal Tourism Department to coordinate with the municipal Department of Planning and Investment, the Hanoi Promotion Agency, Vietnam Airlines’s sales and marketing department and relevant agencies to realize the cooperation deal.

Meanwhile, the municipal Department of Culture and Sports will partner Vietnam Airlines’ communications and branding department and relevant agencies.

In 2017, Hanoi and Vietnam Airlines also signed another cooperation agreement for the 2017-2021 period, which has contributed to promoting the capital city’s image and the corporation’s brand.

According to the municipal Department of Tourism, the number of foreign visitors to Hanoi increased by approximately 19 percent between 2015 and 2018. They came from over 190 countries and territories.

In 2018, Hanoi welcomed 26.31 million visitors, a year-on-year increase of 10.4 percent. International arrivals reached over 6 million, up 21.3 percent, the department said.

In the first nine months of 2019, Hanoi served more than 21.5 million vacationers, up 9.5 percent against the same period last year, including over 4.7 million foreigners, up over 10 percent.

Tourists from Asian countries account for 60 percent of the international visitors who arrive in Hanoi, followed by Europe at nearly 24 percent, America at 9 percent, Australia at 5.5 percent and Africa at 0.5 percent.

In recent years, Hanoi has been hailed as one of the most attractive destinations in the region and the world by prestigious international organizations, including “Asia’s Leading Destination” and the “World’s Leading Destination” in 2018.

In 2019, Hanoi won the Travelers’ Choice Awards and was ranked among the 25 leading destinations in Asia, and the 25 leading places in the world on TripAdvisor.

CNN listed Hanoi along with Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang as the best travel destinations in Asia in 2019.

Many highlights of Hanoi were recently listed in a CNN article suggesting 13 memorable experiences for foreign visitors in Vietnam, such as “search for the best pho in Hanoi”, “make vermicelli noodles in Cu Da village”, and “ride the Reunification Express (officially known as the North-South Railway)”.

Most recently, Hanoi has been ranked fifth among the seven best places in Asia for solo travellers by Bigseventravel.

The Italian tourism website described Hanoi as a hectic, crazy and often confusing city, and a wonderful base from which to explore the north of Vietnam, including the world natural heritage site of Ha Long Bay in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh and the popular resort town of Sa Pa in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

According to Mastercard’s Asia Pacific Destinations Index, Hanoi ranked 15th among the 20 leading destinations in the region.