Survey finds that two cities are popular among young Japanese travelers. Hanoi and Da Nang are among the top three favorite cities of young Japanese travelers, a recent investment and trade cooperation promotion conference between Hanoi and Japan heard. The findings were based on an internet survey about young Japanese people’s travel choices, according to Ambassador of Japan to Vietnam, H.E. Kunio Umeda.
- Exploring the history and culture behind the Vietnam's unique cuisine
- Photo: Foreign tourists with hobby photography on the train in Hanoi
Some 18 million Japanese have traveled overseas in the last several years and Vietnam has attracted a lot of attention from young Japanese, Ambassador Umeda told the conference.
Photo by Leon_Ting |
This presents an opportunity to promote Vietnamese destinations among Japanese tourists, according to Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
Nearly 600,000 Japan tourists visited Vietnam in 2017, up 7.8 per cent against 2016. of which nearly 290,000 visited Hanoi and 177,000 Da Nang.
Hanoi is considered the cultural center of Vietnam, where every dynasty has left its imprint. It boasts more cultural sites than any other city in the country, including hundreds of pagodas and temples. Influenced by the Chinese and the French, the city features an Asian - Western style in architecture and cuisine. The Old Quarter still bears the original street layout and architecture of old Hanoi. At the beginning of the 20th century the city consisted of only about 36 streets, most of which are now part of the Old Quarter. Each street at that time comprised merchants and households specializing in a particular trade, such as silk or jewelry. Street names nowadays still reflect these specializations, though few of them remain exclusively in their original field of commerce.
Meanwhile, the central city of Da Nang, Vietnam’s third-largest city, is famous for its stunning coastline and sandy beaches and famous nearby world heritage sites, such as My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An ancient town. It’s also a popular base for visiting the inland Ba Na Hills or beautiful Hai Van Pass, with its views over Da Nang Bay and Marble Mountains. Hai Van was listed among the top 10 great scenic drives in the world, by the UK’s The Guardian newspaper.
Japan is currently the third-largest source market for tourists to Vietnam, after China and South Korea. Vietnam expects to welcome 1 million Japanese visitors this year, according to VNAT. To achieve this goal, it has held tourism fairs and conferences and signed a number of cooperative memoranda of understanding with Japanese partners.