Hoan Kiem Lake, also known as the Returned Sword Lake, is the city's most renowned destinations (Photo: VNA)
These goals were announced at the 2nd Congress of the Hanoi Department of Tourism’s Party Committee for the 2025, 2030 term held on June 24.
The capital also aims to achieve average hotel occupancy rates of 68 per cent, with the tourism sector contributing 7 to 7.5 per cent to the city’s gross regional domestic product (GRDP).
According to the municipal Department of Tourism, Hanoi’s tourism industry faced major disruptions between 2020 and 2025 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and global economic instability. Despite these challenges, strong policy support helped the sector recover rapidly.
Visitor numbers surged from just 8.65 million in 2020 to 27.88 million in 2024, including 6.37 million international tourists and 21.51 million domestic travellers, up 7.5 per cent year-on-year. Total tourism revenue reached VND 110.6 trillion in 2024.
The upward momentum continued in the first half of 2025, with the capital receiving 15.55 million visitors, an 11.8 per cent increase year-on-year. International arrivals rose by 21.8 per cent to 3.66 million, while domestic visits grew 9 per cent to 11.9 million. Total revenue was estimated at VND 62.3 trillion, up 14.6 per cent from the same period last year.
Speaking at the congress, Vice-Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen praised the tourism department’s achievements in navigating difficult circumstances and driving sectoral growth. Amid persistent global economic uncertainty, he urged the tourism sector to focus on attracting high-spending international visitors to maximise revenue generation.
He also stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation across industries and localities, including culture, trade and local governments, to fully exploit Hanoi’s cultural heritage, historic landmarks and natural landscapes in creating unique tourism experiences.
He encouraged collaboration with travel businesses and associations to turn annual events like the Hanoi Autumn Festival into internationally recognised attractions.
Additionally, he called for enhanced marketing efforts to promote the capital’s image, culture and tourism potential to both domestic and international audiences. He also emphasised the need to raise public awareness of preserving and promoting traditional craft villages as part of Hanoi’s broader goals for sustainable socio-economic development.