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| FUN TIMES: Bui Vien Pedestrian Street is a popular tourist spot at night. Photo sggp.org.vn |
Nguyen Quang Khuong, a visitor from Hanoi, said fun activities in the city take place mostly during the day.
“Finding things to do after 10pm is relatively hard as most restaurants and movie theatres are closed. A popular destination includes Bui Vien Walking Street, but it mostly serves foreigners,” he added.
Marketing and information director of Ben Thanh Tourist Tran Thi Phuong Linh said that pedestrian streets in HCM City lacked outdoor stages. There are also a number of quality pedestrian streets and river cruises.
Director of Travel Federation Tu Quy Thanh said the list of places that offer night services is scattered across districts 1, 3 and 5, among others. An entertainment complex that offers different night activities such as dining, shopping and entertainment, similar to those in Singapore and Thailand, is necessary for tourists to enhance their experiences.
“It is also crucial to not let service providers ‘swim’ by themselves,” Thanh said.
“Authorities should gather statistics on how effective the implementation of previous food streets are, and support small businesses if needed. Food safety and security also concern tourists. Since epidemic prevention is important, tourism service providers should be regularly reminded to follow COVID-19 prevention regulations,” he added.
Night tourism development
Many travel agencies affirmed that tourists are excited to try out the nightlife in HCM City, especially foreigners whose time zones are different.
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| NIGHT GLOW: Ben Thanh Market after dark. File Photo |
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, international tourists’ spending in Vietnam is lower than that in Thailand. For instance, while a foreign visitor will spend US$163 per day for a total of nine days in Thailand, this figure falls to US$96 in Vietnam.
General Director of Saigontourist Travel Nguyen Huu Y Yen said that current night tourism products in HCM City mostly serve domestic tourists. He praised the launches of new pedestrian streets as they can increase the spending of locals, and domestic and international travellers, similar to how Ta Hien Street in Hanoi has been doing.
The further goal is to increase the length of stay and spending level of tourists, so it is important for authorities to carefully plan tourism activities.
Director of the HCM City Department of Tourism Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa said the city has devised feasible solutions, including creating a favourable environment for the tourism community to thrive, supporting tourism start-ups, and promoting alliances between businesses to increase the competitive advantages of tourism products.
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| UNDER STARS: HCM City’s downtown area lit up. Photo kenhdulich.org |
The department will focus on cultural-historical tourism, culinary tourism and shopping tourism, along with three potential groups that make a difference to HCM City, namely waterway travel, MICE tourism, medical tourism, and entertainment tourism and night tourism. VNS
