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Various night tours will be launched in the near future, as well as new and attractive tourism products to attract tourists, especially international travelers, according to the Hanoi Department of Tourism,  Visitors to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2023 at the pedestrian zone around Hoan Kiem Lake. Photo: Khanh Huy The information was released at a conference reviewing tourism in Hanoi in 2022 held by the municipal Department of Tourism on January 5 . Accordingly, since Vietnam opened its doors to inbound tourism on March 15 until December 31, 2022, Hanoi has welcomed 1.5 million international visitors. This year, Hanoi’s tourism sector has targeted welcoming three million international visitors, of which 2.1 million will be overnight guests, twice as many as in 2022. Le Hong Thai, director of Hanoitourist Travel Company, said that Hanoi tourism needs drastic changes soon to quickly recover and develop sustainably. “Unique and attractive tourism products need t...

Main inspiration from Hang Trong folk painting and close consultation with Le Dinh Nghien – the last experienced artisan of this genre with its main inspiration from Hang Trong folk painting, L’Hôtel du LAC Hanoi at 35-37 Hang Trong Street is a harmonious blend of folk beauty and modern architecture. The charming yet elegant space of the hotel with a Hang Trong folk painting of Carp Looking at the Moon on the ceiling of the restaurant. Photo courtesy of L’Hôtel du LAC Visitors will find a unique cultural space that appears no less captivating than a museum of national culture. An inspiration that came from folk art Hang Trong painting is a genre of traditional woodcut painting of Northern Vietnam. In addition to such genres as the famous Dong Ho or the rustic, medieval Kim Hoang, Hang Trong paintings were seen as a cultural feature of the upper class and mandarins in the prosperous capital of Hue because of their sophisticated sizes and techniques. Born in t...

Sen. Lt. Gen. Hoang Xuan Chien hands over the decisions to the officers. Photo: VNA The President’s decisions to send seven additional military officers to UN peacekeeping missions were handed over to the officers during a ceremony held by the Ministry of National Defence on February 7, VNA reported, VNS reported. Among those officers, two are sent to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), four to the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), and one will serve at the UN mission in Central Africa, replacing their predecessors who have completed their term. At the ceremony, four officials who successfully completed their tasks at UN peacekeeping missions were welcomed back. “Today, seven officers received the State President’s Decision and the Decision of the Ministry of Defence to go on duty at the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the Central African Republic, South Sudan and the Abyei Area,” said Major General Hoang Kim Phung. “To pr...

Located beside the busy VinHomes Smart City urban area, west of Hanoi, Phu Thu Village in Tay Mo Ward, Nam Tu Liem District appears to be immune to urbanization. Duong Thi Thu Huong, a villager of Phu Thu Village in Tay Mo Ward, Nam Tu Liem District of Hanoi introduces her family’s products. Photo: Tri Thuc Tre In the village, there are still peaceful tiny alleys and weathered old houses that are kept intact as treasures. Above all, no matter how life has changed, the people here are still passionate about their traditional handicraft of metalworking. For them, the hammer sounds are not only standing for the sustainability of their livelihood but also the rhythm of life and echoes from the past. Tay Mo used to be a purely agricultural ward with over 300 hectares of arable land, of which only about 10% still remains, due to a series of urbanization projects, particularly the construction of Thang Long Avenue. As a result, many households in Phu Thu Village decided t...

This is the main reason why almost all of the major pagodas and temples around cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are overcrowded on these days. In the capital of Hanoi, residents usually flock to Phuc Khanh pagoda in Dong Da district, a major spiritual venue on this occasion. In order to attend a ceremony held at the pagoda, worshippers normally arrive from dawn. The pagoda’s campus is crowded several hours before the start of the ceremony. According to a local resident, he attends the prayer ceremony every year in order to wish for peace for his family. The ceremony this year is less crowded compared to previous as it is scheduled to last for several days instead of just one day as usual. Crowds gather as they wish for peace and luck in the lunar New Year. Police are mobilised to ensure order is maintained at the ceremony. Security forces are also deployed...

Boiled chicken with roses in their beaks are among the most popular offerings for the majority of rituals in the northern region. Banh Chung, square sticky rice cake, and Xoi, sticky rice, sell well ahead of the First Full Moon Festival. A plate of Xoi typically costs around VND30,000 to VND50,000. Elsewhere, the prices of Banh Chung hover from VND50,000 to VND60,000 each. Trầu, betel and areca nut, is one of the items used by locals as they prepare to worship their ancestors on this occasion. Fruits and flowers are an indispensable piece of the altar for the Nguyen Tieu festival. People are busy shopping as they prepare for a feast, as well as buying paper offerings, flowers, and fresh fruits to put up on the family’s altars. Paper offerings are another item which proves popular among customers. The post Hanoi markets packed ahead of First Full Moon Festival appeared first on Vietexplorer.co...