First Chinese tourists return to Hanoi
VOV.VN - The first group of Chinese tourists arrived in Hanoi on March 16, marking the return of Chinese travelers to the capital after a three-year hiatus caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The visitors entered Vietnam after China resumed outbound tours the previous day.
The group of 34 people arrived at the Lao Cai border gate in the northern province of Lao Cai on March 15 and are scheduled to stay in Vietnam for four days. During their trip, they plan to tour Hanoi, before moving on to Ha Long city in Quang Ninh province.
While staying in Hanoi, the Chinese tourists will take a tour of Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature – the first university in Vietnam) and the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.
They will also sample Bún Chả (vermicelli with grilled pork and fresh herbs), a popular Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and noodles, which is thought to have originated from Hanoi.
The arrival of the first group of Chinese visitors is expected to help reactivate the Chinese tourist market after a long period of stagnation caused by the pandemic.
Vietnam received 1.8 million foreign arrivals in just the first two months of the year. With China resuming outbound tours, Vietnam is expected exceed the target of welcoming eight million foreign travelers this year, according to Ha Van Sieu, deputy general director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.