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| Domestic and international tourists visiting Hue Imperial Citadel on the morning of September 1st |
Enjoying the holiday
Having 4 days off in the celebration of National Day, Mr. Nguyen Truong Son (Binh Phuoc province) asked for a few more days off to travel to the central provinces with his family. The first destination to be chosen was Hue Ancient Capital, and Mr. Son‘s family was present in this city from August 30th. He said: “I heard that Thanh Toan Tiled-roof Bridge was beautiful, and there was a traditional boat racing festival on the river. Therefore, I came here to experience and found it very interesting. During a few days in Hue, I will visit the monuments, Thuan An beach and lagoon areas to have fun and experience Hue cuisine.”
According to travel agencies, the number of tourists booking tours for the National Day holiday has not increased much this year. However, a large number of people chose to travel on their own, and only contacted travel companies for booking retail services such as accommodation, transportation, and meals. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Thanh, Director of Dai Bang Tourism Joint Stock Company, shared that most travelers chose short tours of 1-2 days to Thuan An beach, A Luoi or other destinations within Hue city. On this year’s holiday, a lot of families and visitors in small groups also came to Hue.
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| Visitors experiencing and taking photos at Thuy Xuan incense village (Hue city) |
Before the National Day holiday, accommodation businesses also welcomed a large number of customers pre-booking rooms during the holiday. Ms. Chau Thi Hoang Mai, Executive Director of Alba Spa Hotel, said that the occupancy rate at the resort reached 60%, and that of the hotel was 70%. Since visitors had already enjoyed a long summer vacation, and students started the new school year at this time, most of them chose short trips on this occasion, with stay time being about 1-2 days.
At tourist destinations, we met many out-of-province and foreign tourists. Upon starting a conversation with them, we heard that they made a journey to central provinces, and Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, and Quang Binh were the most chosen localities to be included in their itineraries. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoai An (Thanh Hoa province) shared: “I got a ride to Hue, then started the Hue – Da Nang – Hoi An trip during the 4 days off in the celebration of National Day. These localities offer many tourist attractions and are close to each other, so it is very convenient. I really like Hue because of its beautiful scenery, rich culture, and especially delicious cuisine.”
Many interesting experiences during the holiday
On the occasion of this year’s National Day, Hue tourism industry promises to be bustling with visitors thanks to tourism stimulus programs and festival activities to attract and retain visitors. According to the representative of Hue Monuments Conservation Center, Vietnamese tourists are welcome to visit the Complex of Hue Monuments for free during the National Day holiday on September 2nd. The relic sites belonging to the Complex of Hue Monuments granting free admission to Vietnamese people and tourists on September 2nd include: Hue Citadel, Tombs of Emperors Gia Long, Minh Mang, Tu Duc, Thieu Tri, Dong Khanh, and An Dinh Palace, Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities, etc. Free-of-charge opening hours are from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on September 2nd, 2023.
According to the representative of the Department of Tourism, when coming to Hue Ancient Capital during the National Day, in addition to the policy of exempting entrance tickets to the Complex of Hue Monuments for domestic tourists, visitors will be able to watch the traditional boat racing festival on the Perfume River or immerse yourself in the exciting atmosphere on the romantic roads along the Tam Giang lagoon of the Quang Dien District Half Marathon. Besides, there are many other attractive activities, according to the Department of Culture and Sports, on the evening of September 1st, there will be an art program in the lobby of Thua Thien Hue Provincial Cultural and Cinema Center (6th intersection of Hung Vuong Street).
In Thuy Thanh commune, Huong Thuy town, a program of mass cultural festivals, cultural exchanges among the local schools, as well as between locals and in and out-of-province visitors (from 6pm to 9pm) will be organized at the display yard of agricultural tools in Thuy Thanh commune and Thanh Toan Tiled-roof Bridge from September 1st to September 4th. Besides, the activities of Thanh Toan Tiled-roof Bridge Night Market also take place continuously on the evenings from September 1st to September 4th, 2023.
Notably, in the celebration of National Day, Hue sightseeing service on the open-top double-decker buses also offers a special experience which is a music tour with the theme “Autumn – Love Story” taking place on September 1st and September 3rd night right on the bus with the appearance of an extremely romantic band. During the 90-minute journey, all the senses of the visitors will be stirred up whilst they are enjoying music together with the view. The super shimmering night of Hue Ancient Capital from the mobile “view” at a height of 4m. On this occasion, Hue sightseeing service on the open-top double-decker buses also offers the buy-3-get-1-free concessionary program from September 1st to September 4th, 2023.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Director of the Department of Tourism, shared that travel agencies also organized tours to attract tourists and provided concessions to stimulate the demand during the National Day holiday. Besides, tourist attractions also offered concessions to serve tourists. Typically, there is a special concessionary entrance ticket program for visitors to Le Ba Dang Memory Space in Kim Son village, Thuy Bang commune, Hue City on the occasion of National Day. Particularly, children under 6 years old and elderly people over 70 years old will be granted free admission.
Leaders of the Department of Tourism said that to ensure activities during the National Day holiday, the province’s tourism industry has seriously implemented the directive dispatch of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, which focuses on directing the management boards of tourist attractions as well as tourism business establishments and services in the area to proactively organize activities to serve tourists during the holidays; improve the quality of tourism products; introduce new local tourism products to serve tourists; ensure safety for tourists, arrange warnings and rescue; enhance security, safety, fire and explosion prevention, and disease prevention according to regulations.
The management board of tourist attractions as well as tourism business establishments and services in the area should reinforce the practices of ensuring food hygiene and safety, ensuring environmental hygiene, and maintaining the general landscape. Also, they must strictly comply with the law on prices, the regulations on registration, listing of prices and selling at the listed prices.
