breathing new life into the travel experience
Two of the most prominent products in the capital are the "Ba Dinh Red Light" program and the cultural tourism train "Hanoi 5 gates - The Hanoi Train".
In particular, the train Hanoi 5th Gate - The Hanoi train is like a mobile work of art, taking visitors on a journey to explore unique heritages. Inspired by the image of the ancient Thang Long citadel, each train car is named after a historical gate: O Cau Den, O Quan Chuong, O Cau Giay, O Cho Dua and O Dong Mac.
This is not only a means of transportation from Hanoi to Kinh Bac (Bac Ninh), but a complete cultural experience space, combining architecture, cuisine, music and historical stories told in a subtle way.
A tourist from Thanh Hoa shared: "As soon as I boarded the train, I felt like I was entering an appointment between the past and the present".
Many other tourists also expressed their excitement when enjoying folk songs of the family cavan and ca Tru right on the journey, while admiring the peaceful scenery of the Northern countryside through the windows.
Meanwhile, the program "Ba Dinh Red Light", taking place at Truc Bach walking street space, has truly turned this place into a multi-sensory experience space, harmoniously combining activities to visit historical relics such as Quan Thanh Temple, An Tri Communal House... with exhibitions, creative booths and street art performances.
Ms. Dang Huong Giang - Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism - said: "The series of cultural and historical tourism activities in Hanoi in 2025 with the theme "Ba Dinh Red" is an important tourism promotion and promotion event of the capital, aiming to honor cultural and historical values, spread patriotism, arouse national pride, and at the same time affirm the image of a creative and unique Hanoi. The program contributes to connecting destinations, introducing products and tourist routes in Ba Dinh ward, thereby attracting more and more tourists to the capital, actively contributing to the development of Vietnam's tourism as well as the city's socio-economic growth".
The momentum of Vietnam tourism
The success of tourism products launched during the holiday shows Hanoi's new and sustainable tourism thinking. In the context of the tourism industry exploding during the National Day holiday on September 2, Hanoi has emerged as the brightest bright spot, becoming the focus when welcoming up to 2.08 million visitors in just 4 days off, bringing in tourism revenue of approximately VND 4,500 billion, up to 80% over the same period in 2024. This spectacular success is not only at a favorable time, but also comes from a strategic direction: Turning heritage into vibrant, unique and attractive experiences. From a business perspective, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of Best Price Travel - commented: " Products like the 5-door heritage train are really different. Tourists not only travel but also enjoy Hanoi specialties such as green rice milk, lemon tea, listen to special art forms such as Quan Ho, Ca Tru right on the train - experiences that not every other place has".
Mr. Tu added that in the past, every autumn, Vietnamese tourists flocked to Japan and Korea, but now Hanoi has begun to create its own effect through destinations such as the National Achievement Exhibition, cultural and artistic activities extended from the A80 festival...If we take advantage of this opportunity to create quality, in-depth products, it will be attractive for tourists to explore domestic destinations.
In fact, this year's National Day holiday on September 2 is an occasion that has entered the history of the tourism industry with record numbers.
Besides Hanoi, in Ho Chi Minh City, the atmosphere is equally vibrant with nearly 1.45 million visitors and an estimated revenue of VND 4,140 billion, double the previous year's holiday. This heat is demonstrated through the fact that room occupancy at 4-5 star hotels in many big cities has continuously reached over 80%, even "room closeness" on peak days.
Not only large cities, the Central region also witnessed a bumper tourism season. Da Nang tourism has welcomed more than 620,000 visitors, earning over 2,200 billion VND. The festive atmosphere filled the city with special activities such as fire spraying, water spraying of Dragon Bridge or events at Sun World Ba Na Hills.
The heat spread to the ancient capital of Hue, which welcomed nearly 196,000 visitors, with revenue skyrocketing by more than 134%. Accommodation facilities have proactively upgraded and organized many cultural activities at the Ancient Capital Relic Complex, bringing in-depth experiences to visitors during the important holiday.
Tourism continuously reaches new peaks
According to data from the Statistics Office, in August 2025 alone, Vietnam welcomed 1.68 million international visitors, an increase of 16.5% over the same period last year.
More notably, this figure has increased by 7.8% compared to July 2025, an optimistic signal as this is considered the low season for inbound tourism. Previously, Vietnam's tourism also grew strongly when it welcomed 12.2 million international visitors in the first 7 months of the year, an increase of 22.5% over the same period in 2024 and an increase of 25% over 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic).
In the first 8 months of the year, the total number of international visitors reached nearly 14 million, an increase of 21.7% over the same period in 2024, creating a solid foundation for the year-end final period.
