Four events in the cultural sphere were named, including the performance of the world-famous classical ballet Swan Lake by artists from the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB). The show was a record for the VNOB, selling out a month before the opening night.
In 2019, the “then” practice of the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups in Vietnam was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Outstanding events in sport included Vietnam finishing second out of 11 countries at the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
The competition was a huge success for Vietnam, with men’s and women’s national football teams winning gold medals and athletes performing well in Olympic sports such as swimming and track and field.
In the field of tourism, Vietnam welcomed over 18 million international tourists for the first time, up 16.2 percent year-on-year, as well as 85 million domestic visitors, up 6 percent. Total tourism revenue was estimated at over 726 trillion VND (31.1 billion USD), a yearly rise of 17.1 percent.
Vietnam was also ranked among the world’s 10 fastest growing travel destinations by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
