Many activities were held in Hanoi to welcome the 31st SEA Games.

The 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) is a "golden" opportunity to promote Vietnam's tourism destinations in general and Hanoi in particular to international friends, especially when Vietnam's tourism has reopened after a long period of being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cultural activities and unique tourism products

Hanoi Department of Tourism has actively directed destinations, accommodation and travel agencies to develop new tourism products and activate unique tourism products to serve tourists such as: bicycle tour "Footprints of Bat Trang ancient village" journey; activation of night tourism products in Son Tay walking street, Trinh Cong Son walking street; night tour Decoding Thang Long Imperial Citadel; night tour to explore Hoa Lo Prison; Hanoi City Tour by double-decker bus; tour to explore Southeast Asian culture at the Museum of Ethnology with activities of visiting Southeast Asian cultural exhibitions, experiencing folk games...

In addition, some reputable travel companies such as Hanoi Tourist, Vietfoot Travel, LUX Travel, VI Travel, Vietravel... have built 28 tours and typical travel programs such as: visiting famous scenic spots and enjoying unique cuisine of Hanoi and surrounding areas, to introduce to international delegations, athletes and reporters.

Many events were held by the Hanoi Department of Tourism before, during and after the 31st SEA Games. The opening of the series of tourism events in the capital welcoming the 31st SEA Games was the program "Hanoi Tourism Welcomes 2022 - Get On Hanoi 2022" and the hot air balloon flight experience organized by the Hanoi Department of Tourism.

In addition, the Capital Tourism sector continues to organize special events and promotion programs including: the 2022 Friendship Journey in Quoc Oai district; the 2022 Hanoi Tourism Gift Festival in the Hoan Kiem Lake walking street area; Bat Trang tourism week; opening of Son Tay - Xu Doai Tourism Year and opening of Son Tay Ancient Citadel walking street; opening of the 2022 Giong Festival at Phu Dong Temple and receiving the decision to recognize "Phu Dong Tourist Destination"; Love Festival in Hong Van commune, Thuong Tin district...

In addition, the City's Center for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion organized two events to celebrate the 31st SEA Games, including the 2022 Hanoi Tourism Festival at the Hoan Kiem Lake walking street and the Hanoi Craft Village Cuisine and Tourism Festival in Le Quang Dao Street, Nam Tu Liem District.

Preparation of accommodation and event promotion

To prepare a system of high-quality tourist accommodation facilities to serve the 31st SEA Games, based on reviewing, evaluating, and synthesizing the number of 3-5 star tourist accommodation facilities in the city, the Department of Tourism has introduced 14 4-5 star hotels to serve delegations, representatives of sports delegations from countries, athletes, and international reporters attending the 31st SEA Games.

In addition, the city has 62 3-5 star hotels, luxury apartments, equivalent to 7,355 rooms and nearly 500 1-2 star hotels with over 11,000 rooms ready to serve tourists coming to Hanoi during the 31st SEA Games. The Department of Tourism will also maintain regular inspection and supervision of tourist accommodation facilities before and during the event to ensure the best quality of service for the Congress.

The propaganda and promotion of tourism in the capital during the 31st SEA Games was carried out through the publication of publications and gift products, which are promotional tools for Hanoi tourism to serve the introduction and promotion of tourism in the capital. Specifically, the activity of reprinting 3,500 Hanoi tourist maps and 4,000 books "Hanoi - Safe - Friendly - Attractive Destination" in two languages: Vietnamese and English. Production of souvenirs to serve the propaganda and promotion of tourism in the capital to international delegations, athletes and reporters.

Hanoi tourism industry also cooperated with Vietnam Television (VTV) and Hanoi Television (HTV) to develop and broadcast the tourism promotion program "Hanoi - Come to love" broadcast in 2 phases (Phase 1 from April - August 2022; Phase 2 from September - December 2022). The Department of Tourism also coordinated with CNN International to develop and broadcast a 30-second promotional film about Hanoi tourism images with the SEA Games 31 logo integrated. At the same time, promote the image of culture, tourism, and people of Hanoi on the Department of Tourism's electronic information page, Hanoi tourism website and social networking platforms; maintain the organization of Hanoi tourism FM program and tourist support hotline.

In order to have a team of human resources to serve SEA Games 31 well, last April, Hanoi Department of Tourism trained more than 160 delegates who are officers of the Department of Culture - Information, Culture - Information Centers of districts, towns and communes and wards where SEA Games 31 competitions take place; representatives of tourism businesses and units in the city. The Department of Tourism also coordinated with the Logistics and Public Services Subcommittee (General Department of Sports and Physical Training, General Department of Tourism) to open training courses on hotel operations, service skills in tourism, Halal food... for staff of 14 hotels participating in serving SEA Games 31.

SEA Games 31 is the largest sporting event in Southeast Asia, besides playing an important role in politics, diplomacy, culture, sports and economy... it is also a great opportunity to promote the image of the country, people, tourism of Vietnam in general, and of the capital Hanoi in particular to international friends. This is also an opportunity for Hanoi to affirm its brand as a destination for organizing international and regional events.

More information

The 2021 Southeast Asian Games - SEA Games 31 will be hosted in Vietnam. This is the second time Hanoi has hosted the Southeast Asian Games since 2003.

The 2021 Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as the 31st SEA Games, will take place from May 5 to 23, 2022 in Hanoi and neighboring localities including Bac Ninh, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho and Bac Giang. In particular, the capital Hanoi will hold the opening and closing ceremonies on May 12 and May 23, respectively.

There are 40 sports in all, mainly those contested at the Asian Games and the Olympics.

Phuong Thao is the Editor of Travellive Magazine. She is passionate about traveling and loves to capture moments with her camera in every land she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are her favorite writing topics.

PV