Hundreds of thousands of visitors arrive at President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

On the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of National Reunification Day (April 30) and International Labor Day (May 1), the mausoleum’s management board this morning announced 50,943 people nationwide including 11,488 foreigners paid visits to the mausoleum.
People burn incense at Dong Loc junction historic site (Photo SGGP)
People burn incense at Dong Loc junction historic site (Photo SGGP)
Because there was a rise of visitors to the mausoleum compared to normal days, the management board had coordinated with forces in the Ba Dinh Historical-Cultural Relic Complex, and relevant agencies in Hanoi to provide good services to domestic and foreign visitors.
In May Day, the management board served drinking water and bread gratis to all visitors.
Director of historical monuments Kim Lien in the central province of Nghe An Nguyen Bao Tuan yesterday said thousands of people arrived in the monument in the national holidays. On April 28, the monument welcomed 800 – 1,000 visitors averagely. According to an estimation, over 50,000 people paid visits to Uncle Ho’s fatherland in Sen (Lotus ) village, and the tomb of Uncle Ho’s mother, Hoang Thi Loan, in Dong Tranh mountain.
Statistically, in the first quarter of 2018, the monument welcomed 6,734 delegations comprising of 176,657 visitors; of whom, 124 delegations came from 27 nations in the world. Additionally, 103 delegations from the central authorities and enamoring provinces thurified at the monument, said the management board.
Similarly, head of the management board of the Dong Loc T-junction historical relic site in the central province of Ha Tinh -Tran Dinh Uoc said during the three-day national holidays , there was a rise of visitors to the monument with estimated number of 3,000 – 5,000 people a day. 
Monument employees were assigned to work with local relevant agencies to well serve thurifiers as well as keep environment hygiene and prevent fire and explosion.
Elsewhere in the country, tombs of Vietnam’s first Party Chief Tran Phu in district Duc Tho; Party Chief Ha Huy Tap in district Cam Xuyen; temple of the late General Secretary Le Duan at Ke Go Lake in district Cam Xuyen; and memorial site of Vietnam’s great poet and cultural celebrity Nguyen Du in district Nghi Xuan also attracted thousands of local and international visitors.
The management board of historic site Con Dao in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau yesterday said that it served more than 7,000 visitors including 745 international tourists, up 80 percent compared to same period last year. Travelers paid also visits to historic sites, Hang Duong cemetery, islets.
City dwellers May 1 flocked to amusement parks more than normal days. It is estimated that thousands of people found ways to hide scorching heat in Dam Sen park, Sai Gon zoo, Suoi Tien Tourist Park and tourist sites in Can Gio District.
Also, crowd of people gathered in commercial centers and supermarkets namely Co.opMart, BigC, Emart, and Lotte Mart. Though there was no estimation of revenue of these holidays, purchase power increased by 150 - 200 percent compared to normal days. People mostly bought fruits, ready-made food and beverage.
Tourist agents said that there was an escalation of holiday-makers to abroad countries thanks to interesting promotion programs. BenThanh Tourist said that the number of travelers was triple while TST Tourist said Vietnamese holiday-makers taking foreign tours were up 45 percent.
Agents said that the increase of flight fare from April 1 badly affected the competition of domestic tours. In the national holidays, cost of HCMC – Thailand, HCMC- Singapore, and HCMC- Malaysia tours fluctuated VND7 million - VND10 a tour, which is cheaper than domestic tours.
As per the General Statistic Office of Vietnam, in the first four months of the year, some 5.54 million foreign visitors arrived in Vietnam, a year-on-year increase of 29.5 percent.
In April alone, more than 1.34 million international tourists traveled to Vietnam, a decrease of 0.1 percent compared to March; however, the number of visitors in April increased by 25.2 percent against last year because there were many activities to attract visitors in April such as the International Tourist Fair in Hanoi, Tourist Festival in HCMC.
In the first four months, Asian holiday-makers coming to Vietnam saw a year-on-year surge of 36 percent; for instance, Chinese travelers went up 39.7 percent; South Korean tourist increased 67.3 percent; Japanese, Malaysian and Thailand visitors with an increase of 7 percent, 16.3 percent and 9.2 percent respectively. There was a rise of European tourists with 12.9 percent.
Revenue from accommodation and food in the first four months was estimated at VND172 trillion ($7.5 billion) up 9.4 percent compared to same period last year. Tourist turnover in four months reached VND12,9 trillion a year-on-year rise of 26.1 percent.

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