Addressing the event, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien said that over the years, Vietnam and the RoK have implemented various exchange and cooperation activities in the fields of culture, sport and tourism, including the Vietnamese Culture Days in the RoK.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien.

Such exchange activities have contributed to deepening the understanding and friendship between the two countries, encouraging more Koreans to travel to Vietnam, he said.

The minister affirmed that the Vietnamese Government always welcomes and creates the best possible conditions for RoK tourists, investors and travel firms.

Korean guests at the conference were introduced to Vietnamese landscapes, resorts, hotels as well as the Vietnamese people and traditional cultural practices.

According to Vietnamese Tourism Ambassador to the RoK Ly Xuong Can (Lee Chang-kun), the Vietnamese tourism sector has grown rapidly, making Vietnam one of the most attractive destinations for Korean tourists.

At the same time, the number of Vietnamese visitors to the RoK has been rising, he noted, forecasting that the tourism partnership between the two countries will be further expanded in the future.

In 2018, Vietnam welcomed nearly 3.5 million RoK tourists, a surge of 44.3 percent year on year.

In the first five months of 2019, Vietnam welcomed nearly 1.8 million visitors from the RoK, up 22.4 percent over the same period last year. The RoK has become the second biggest tourist source market of Vietnam.

Meanwhile, nearly 500 million Vietnamese tourists visited the RoK in 2018, a rise of about 41 percent over 2017.

In recent years, Vietnamese tourism sector has seen the engagement of many RoK firms such as Lotte, Accor and Intercontinental, along with the stronger rise of domestic firms such as Sungroup, Vinpearl, FLC and Vietjet Air.

In 2017 and 2018, Vietnam was listed as the leading tourist destination in Asia by the World Travel Awards.

Tourism-hotel transaction platform wins startup contest

The BedLinker.com project – an online platform for tourism-hotel service transactions, has surpassed nine outstanding projects nationwide to win an innovative tourism startup competition at its final round in Hanoi on June 18.

Quang Ninh launches double-decker buses for tourism

“Vietnam Sightseeing” double-decker buses were put into operation in Ha Long city, the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh, on June 18.

Thousands flock to Mau Son mount for tourism festival

Thousands of people flocked to the Mau Son national tourist site in the northern mountainous province of Lang Son on June 16 for a tourism festival. 

Quang Ninh has additional sea and island tourism site

The People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province has recognised Cai Chien communal island in Hai Ha district as a provincial tourism site.

TikTok kicks off tourism promotion campaign in Vietnam

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism’s Tourism Magazine and TikTok Vietnam officially began promoting Vietnam’s famous tourist spots and special tours on the video app TikTok on June 13.

Source: VNA