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The Lunar New Year of the Tiger presented a great opportunity for localities across the country to "revive" the tourism industry, which had been severely affected by the pandemic. The number of domestic tourists far exceeded the total number for December 2021 (5.2 million) and was not much less than the number of domestic tourists in January 2020 (7.3 million) – the period before the Covid-19 pandemic became complicated; in some places, the number of tourists even surpassed that of the 2020 Lunar New Year.
During the 9-day Tet holiday, the majority of tourists tended to travel to southern provinces, with Tay Ninh being the most surprising destination – welcoming approximately 595,000 visitors, surpassing even familiar tourist destinations like Lam Dong and Vung Tau. This surge in visitors was partly due to Tay Ninh province's tourism stimulus policy of offering free entrance to the Ba Den Mountain historical and scenic site in 2022. The Ba Den Mountain cable car welcomed nearly 350,000 visitors, in addition to about 100,000 who came to hike up the mountain.
Large crowds of tourists at Ba Den Mountain National Tourist Area during the Lunar New Year of the Tiger 2022. Source: Ba Den Mountain Tourist Area
An Giang also unexpectedly became one of the most visited tourist destinations. In the 5 days from January 30th to February 3rd (the 28th to the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year), the province welcomed approximately 316,000 visitors, a 58% increase compared to the same period last year.
The number of tourists visiting and staying in Lam Dong also increased to approximately 300,000, with the total number of visitors to Da Lat from January 31st to February 6th (29th to 6th day of the Lunar New Year) reaching 166,000. Due to the overwhelming number of visitors, Da Lat's streets were frequently congested during this period. Mr. Le Anh Kiet, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Da Lat, said that the agency had to assist in recommending accommodation in the city to more than 40 phone numbers that could not find rooms because of the congestion.
The night market in downtown Da Lat is always packed with people. (Photo: Internet)
Approximately 420,000 tourists visited Ba Ria - Vung Tau, with Vung Tau city alone receiving about 204,500 visitors. The total number of visitors to the province increased by 81% compared to the same period in 2021. Central attractions in the city were also packed with tourists from the third day of Tet until the final days of the holiday.
Similarly, Phu Quoc (Kien Giang) welcomed 79,000 visitors, with the highest numbers going to the islands in the South, the night market, Sun World Hon Thom amusement park, and Grand World.
Tourists crowded the streets of Grand World Phu Quoc. Photo: Le Duc Loc
In addition, tourism in some provinces and cities in the North and Central regions is also showing signs of recovery, such as Nghe An with 160,000 visitors, Hanoi with 105,000 visitors, Hoa Binh with 84,500 visitors, Sa Pa (Lao Cai) with 74,000 visitors, Thua Thien Hue with 58,000 visitors, etc.
The surge in tourists during the Lunar New Year of 2022 brought significant tourism revenue to many localities: Ho Chi Minh City earned 3,100 billion VND (approximately 280,000 visitors); Khanh Hoa earned over 524 billion VND (approximately 98,000 visitors), Ha Giang earned over 159 billion VND (approximately 86,000 visitors)...
