Large cities in Vietnam, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang, welcomed many international tourists during this year’s Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday after three years of being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ben Thanh Market in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City saw a high number of foreign visitors.

Traders at the market said that sales were better as customers bought high-value products.

Their customers were mainly Asians.

During Tet, the market welcomed many groups of foreign tourists.

Similarly, various foreign families were seen at a book festival on Le Loi Street and Nguyen Hue Flower Street.

Thomas, a tourist from London, said coming to Vietnam during the Tet holiday was a special experience.

He was excited as Vietnam’s ao dai (Vietnamese traditional costume) has many colors and styles.

“I bought some jam. It tasty and appropriate to be enjoyed with tea in our homeland,” Thomas added.

During the Tet holiday, Saigontourist, a local tourism firm, welcomed more than 200 U.S., French, German, and Swiss tourists to Vietnam, a representative said.

They visited well-known landscapes, orchards, floating markets, and traditional craft villages in Vietnam while learning about the life and culture of local residents.

Notably, a group of 30 French travelers landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Wednesday, or the fourth day of this lunar year, to begin their 11-day tour passing through Hanoi, Ha Long City in northern Quang Ninh Province, Hoi An City in central Quang Nam Province, Hue City in central Thua Thien-Hue Province, Ho Chi Minh City, and southern Vinh Long Province.

They are Saigontourist’s first international tourists to come to Vietnam this lunar year by air.

The group will come to Ho Chi Minh City next Thursday and will leave Vietnam next Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Silver Spirit cruise ship arrived in Vietnam on the last day of last lunar year.

In addition, Spectrum of the Seas, another cruise ship, will bring 3,000 tourists and crew members to Nha Trang City of south-central Khanh Hoa Province and southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau on February 26 and 27, respectively.

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the city served 32,000 international tourists this Tet. Tourist destinations in the city attracting many foreign visitors were Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple.

In Da Nang City, central Vietnam some 226,700 tourist arrivals were reported between the 29th day of the 12th month of last lunar year and the fifth day of this lunar year, including nearly 167,500 domestic tourists and 59,300 international guests.

Vietnam set a target of welcoming eight million international tourists this year.

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