Tourism

More than 90 km south of Hanoi, Ninh Binh is a province with rich tourist potential. The splendid natural scenery of Trang An, Tam Coc and Bich Dong, the stone cathedral of Phat Diem, and the forest of Cuc Phuong are among the attractions of this beautiful land which was the capital of Vietnam a thousand years ago.

Van Long Lake, situated in Gia Van Commune, Gia Vien District, Ninh Binh Province, is the largest wetland nature reserve in the northern delta region of Viet Nam. With a natural area of nearly 3,500 hectares, the lake is currently home to thousands of animals, plants and aquatic organisms, particularly the critically endangered Delacour langur (Trachypithecus delacouri) endemic to Viet Nam. This is an ideal destination for short-time travel for it is only 80 kilometres from Ha Noi, the capital of Viet Nam.

There have been echoes from local media that Hollywood was making another King Kong feature film in the agrarian outcrop of Tam Coc.

In the first 6 months of this year, Vietnam welcomed more than 4.7 million foreign visitors, an increase of 21.3 percent compared to the same period last year.

A film promoting Vietnam's tourism entitled "Les sourires du Vietnam" (Smiles of Viet Nam) was shown on the French TV network, France 5 on June 18.

The Beach Leisure and MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Conference and Exhibition) Travel Mart opened in the central coastal city of Da Nang on Friday.

Nature has endowed Ninh Binh with magnificent green mountains and blue water. The Trang An eco-tourism site is part of the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, an "outdoor geological museum". Every year, the site receives tens of thousands of visitors who come to explore its unique cave and grotto system.

Trang An Landscape Complex covers an area of 6,172ha in districts of Hoa Lu, Gia Vien, Nho Quan, Tam Diep Town and Ninh Binh City, about 90km to the southeast of Ha Noi. The complex is surrounded by a buffer zone of 6,268ha, mostly comprising paddy rice fields and villages. As a mixed cultural and natural property, Trang An Landscape Complex contains three protected areas, including Hoa Lu Ancient Citadel Cultural - Historical Area; Trang An - Tam Coc - Bich Dong Scenic Area and Hoa Lu Special-Use Primary Forest.

Hundreds of vacationers flocked to Con Vanh ecological tourism site in Nam Phu commune, Tien Hai district, the northern province of Thai Binh, each day during its peak time from April to July.

Endangered Asian openbill storks, which are listed as especially rare in Vietnam's Red Book, have been spotted in paddies in Ban Qua and Ban Vuoc communes in Bat Xat, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

A captured Owston's civet, one of the rarest civets in Vietnam, is being cared at the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Centre at the Cuc Phuong National Park of northern Ninh Binh province.

More than 63,000 visitors, including 6,660 foreigners, visited the President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Ba Dinh historical and cultural relic site in Ha Noi during the National Reunification Day and May Day holidays that began on April 30, the mausoleum management board reported.

Sixteen northern provinces have signed a memorandum of understanding to foster a tourism partnership towards forming links in their promotional activities.

The two-day Trang An festival began at Suoi Tien Temple within Trang An Scenic Complex in the northern province of Ninh Binh on Apil 24.

State President Tran Dai Quang beat the drum to open the Truong Yen Festival 2016 at the Hoa Lu ancient capital historic site in the northern province of Ninh Binh on April 15.

According to the Ninh Binh provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, the northern province welcomed nearly 3 million tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 10.8%.

Phu Quoc Island and the Mekong Delta feature heavily in the promotional activites for National Tourism Year 2016, which officially kicked off on April 10 under the theme "Discover the Southern Land".

Vietnam has many strong points to help its tourism industry grow and compete with other countries in the region, said tourism expert Pham Truong Hoang from the National University of Economics.

A ceremony was held in the northern province of Vinh Phuc to receive certificates recognising the Tay Thien site and the Binh Son Tower as special national relic sites.