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| Traditional performance during Nam Giao sacrificial ceremony and other royal rituals in the imperial court of Hue |
Held at the Viet Nam Cultural Centre in France, the promotional programme drew significant interest from French travel companies and tour operators.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Trung Khanh, Chairman of the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism, affirmed that this promotional event was not merely a marketing activity, but a vivid symbol of the connection between the two nations with a rich history of relations, culture, and people-to-people exchange.
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| Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh highlighted that the visit to France by General Secretary To Lam in 2024 marked an important milestone in reinforcing and further deepening cooperation between the two countries, including in the field of tourism. |
In recent years, Viet Nam and France have implemented several effective bilateral tourism cooperation initiatives, such as signing cooperation documents and applying liberal visa policies for French visitors. Notably, Viet Nam has granted a unilateral visa exemption for French citizens since 2015 and extended the permitted stay to 45 days as of August 15, 2023.
Khanh stressed that every trip to Viet Nam should not only be a holiday, but also a cultural and friendship-connecting experience between the peoples of the two nations.
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| Tourism businesses from Viet Nam and France actively engaged in meetings, exchanged information, and explored cooperation opportunities during the networking session held on the afternoon of May 12. |
In 2024, Viet Nam welcomed nearly 279,000 French visitors, equivalent to 97% of the pre-pandemic level. Remarkably, in the first quarter of 2025 alone, French tourists rose by over 28% compared to last year, reaching more than 102,000 arrivals, demonstrating Viet Nam’s lasting appeal as a destination for French travellers.
In addition to in-depth tourism products rich in national identity across heritage-rich localities, Viet Nam has also introduced themed products tailored for refined tastes, such as culinary classes, tours of traditional craft villages, pilgrimage routes, wellness tourism, and community-based tourism.
Furthermore, the historical and cultural affinities and exchanges between Viet Nam and France, reflected in architecture, cuisine, and urban spaces in cities like Ha Noi, Sai Gon, Hue, Da Lat, and Hoi An, offer French tourists experiences that are both familiar and refreshingly novel. In this way, each trip to Viet Nam becomes not only a vacation but a meaningful cultural and people-to-people exchange.
Alongside calling on leading French tourism enterprises and partners to collaborate in developing unique tourism products, Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang affirmed that, in the context of global tourism recovery, this is a golden opportunity to further strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Viet Nam and France, in which culture and tourism are two key pillars.
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| Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang. |
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to France Dinh Toan Thang stressed that choosing France as a destination in the international tourism promotion series reflects Viet Nam's great regard for the French market.
This is a promising market, with 279,000 French tourists visiting Viet Nam in 2024. This impressive figure is a testament to the growing appeal of Viet Nam as a destination for European travellers.
According to Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang, every destination in Viet Nam carries a unique story, a deep historical background, a rich cultural fabric, and breathtakingly diverse natural landscapes – all of which create a truly unique experience for tourists.
The Ambassador also highlighted the vast potential of promoting Viet Nam's tourism through cinema, a powerful channel for connecting with international audiences on an emotional level. He expressed a desire to welcome French filmmakers to explore, collaborate, and create in Viet Nam.
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| Hue royal cuisine was featured in the programme as an essential element in sparking the curiosity of French visitors about Vietnamese culture. The dishes were presented as works of art, showcasing the meticulousness and sophistication of Vietnamese gastronomy, aiming to appeal to the refined tastes of French tourists. |
Source: NDO
