People urged to turn on the charm

Speaking at the launch of National Tourism Year 2015 in thecentral province of Thanh Hoa, he said a concerted effort by concernedagencies and the citizens was needed to develop tourism in the country.

“Viet Nam’s tourism is not just about hotels and resorts orthe quality of service but also the Vietnamese people’s friendliness andattitude toward visitors,” the deputy PM said.

“We must strive to give visitors memorable experiences so that when they think of Viet Nam, they will want to come back.

“It is the little things like not littering in public placesand giving up seats to the elderly that counts if we are to promote thecountry’s image as a wonderful destination to meet wonderful people,”he said.

He said that some parts of the tourism sector have not ableto promote Viet Nam’s image as a friendly destination and, in somecases, have even left visitors with negative impressions of the country.

The Opening Week for National Tourism Year-Thanh Hoa 2015 isbeing held in Thanh Hoa from April 3 to 10, and marked by 10 events,which include a requiem for war martyrs; the 50th anniversary of the HamRong Victory; the announcement for the Ma River tour; and the Festivalof the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Viet Nam recognised by UNESCO,have been planned.

Yesterday morning, the Thanh Hoa Province celebrated the50th anniversary of the Ham Rong Victory (April 3 to 4, 1965 and April 3to 4, 2015). Former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu and theMinister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Hoang Tuan Anh attended themeeting.

The Ham Rong Bridge has a very important location, as it isthe only railway bridge built across the Ma River, and therefore was akey target of the U.S. Air Force during the anti-American War.

However, Vietnamese forces bravely fought to protect the bridge, shooting down more than 100 American aircraft in the process.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Thanh Hoa Province People’sCommittee Chairman, Nguyen Dinh Xung, reviewed the glorious victory ofthe army and people and their efforts in defending the bridge half acentury ago.

“The Ham Rong victory will always remain a motivation forthe provincial military and civilians to build a more prosperous ThanhHoa,” he said.

Earlier, on Thursday evening, at the Ham Rong Park on thesouthern bank of Ma River, the Thanh Hoa Province coordinated with theprovincial Buddhist organisation to hold a remembrance ceremony for morethan 8,000 martyrs and 64 teachers and students, who had laid downtheir lives in the region during the war.

Major events planned

The province will also focus on completing the constructionof major works that will mark the National Tourism Year 2015. Theseinclude a project to conserve and promote the value of the worldcultural heritage; the Cultural and Historical Tourism Site for HoDynasty Citadel, the project to rebuild the Lam Kinh Palace; theconstruction of the Temple for Heroic Mothers and the Ham Rong heroicmartyrs; and a project to promote the value of the Ham Rong TourismComplex.

During the last few years, Thanh Hoa had upgraded more than200 monuments at a total expense of VND400 billion (US$18.6 million), ofwhich major monuments included the World Cultural Heritage of HoDynasty Citadel in the Vinh Loc District, the Special National Site ofLam Kinh (Tho Xuan District), and the Ham Rong tourism complex in ThanhHoa City, the Cam Luong fish stream tourist site in Cam Thuy Districtand the Truong Le Cultural Tourism Zone in Sam Son town.

According to the Viet Nam National Administration ofTourism, during the National Tourism Year in Thanh Hoa, more than 20events will be held in 15 provinces and cities that have been labelledas World Heritage Sites in the country.

They include the fifth anniversary of the Thang Long RoyalCitadel in Ha Noi being honoured as a World Cultural Heritage, alongwith the Co Loa Temple festival (Ha Noi), the Ha Long Carnival 2015, theYen Tu Festival (in Quang Ninh Province), the Hung Temple Festival (PhuTho Province); the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda Festival (Bac Giang Province);and the festival of Sen Village (Nghe An).

Other events would include the Hue Traditional CraftsFestival (Hue), the “Quang Nam– Heritage Journey” (Quang Nam Province);and the Central Highlands Gongs Festival (Gia Lai Province).

During the National Tourism Year-Thanh Hoa 2015, provincesand cities across the country will be connected together to promote 18World Heritage sites in Viet Nam, with the Thanh Hoa Province assumingthe leading role, Nguyen Van Tuan, head of Viet Nam’s NationalAdministration of Tourism, said.

“Initially, Thanh Hoa would focus on the two main products: marine tourism and cultural tourism, to attract domestic tourists.

Besides, the province should also identify typicaldestinations. The province needs investment in infrastructure forbuilding tourist destinations and strengthening communication andpopularising these destinations,” said Tuan. 

People urged to turn on the charm

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