Hanoi to provide free Wi-Fi at tourist sites

Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi plans to provide free Wi-Fi at all tourist sites in four districts and one town in the city.

In a document sent to relevant authorities, the municipal Department of Information and Communication asked the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunication (VNPT) to install free public Wi-Fi system at tourist spots in the urban districts of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh and Tay Ho, the outlying district of Ha Dong, and Son Tay town.

The department has asked the Department of Tourism, the Department of Culture and Sports and local People's Committees to work with VNPT to ensure the progress of installing free public wireless internet systems.

Previously, in 2017, the city started offering free Wi-Fi access around the popular destinations such as Hoan Kiem Lake, the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long historical site, Huong (Perfume) Pagoda and Bat Trang Ceramic Craft Village.

The Hanoi Old Quarter, located in the downtown in Hoan Kiem district, is the most popular destination in the capital city. Tourists come here to explore ancient streets, craft products, local food or experience lives there. In the evening, streets become more crowded and lively with Hang Dao – Dong Xuan night fair and outdoor music performances.

Since 2016, Hanoi has allowed Hoan Kiem district to pilot the extension of opening hour of bars and restaurants to 2am. As a result, their revenues increased by about 30 percent.

Hanoi ranks 15th in the list of 25 most popular destinations of the 2020 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Awards.

According to the famous American travel website, the charming Vietnamese capital has aged well, preserving the Old Quarter, monuments and colonial architecture, while making room for modern developments alongside.

Lakes, parks, shady boulevards and more than 600 temples and pagodas add to the appeal of this city, which is easily explored by taxi, it noted.

Hanoi welcomed nearly 1.2 million visitors in July, a surge of 51.2 percent over that in June, including 16,600 foreigners. Total earnings from tourism in the month are estimated to reach 3.47 trillion VND (151.4 million USD), up 50.2 percent year on year, reported the city’s Tourism Department.

According to the department, the number of visitors to the capital city is about 6.13 million in the first seven months of 2020.

In recent years, Hanoi has been hailed as one of the most attractive destinations in the region and the world by prestigious international organisations such as “Asia’s Leading Destination” and the “World’s Leading Destination” in 2018.

In 2019, Hanoi won the Travelers’ Choice Awards and was ranked among the 25 leading destinations in Asia, and the 25 world’s leading places on TripAdvisor website.

CNN listed Hanoi along with Phu Quoc Island in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang as the best travel destinations in Asia in 2019.

Many highlights of Hanoi were recently listed in the CNN’s article suggesting 13 memorable experiences for foreign visitors in Vietnam such as “search for the best pho in Hanoi”, “make vermicelli noodles in Cu Da village”, and “ride the Reunification Express (officially known as North-South Railway)”.

Hanoi ranked fifth among the seven best places in Asia for solo travellers by Bigseventravel.

The Italian tourism website described Hanoi as a hectic, crazy and often confusing city, and a wonderful base from which to explore the north of Vietnam, including the world natural heritage site of Ha Long Bay in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh and the popular resort town of Sa Pa in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

According to Mastercard’s Asia Pacific Destinations Index, Hanoi ranked 15th among the 20 leading destinations in the region./.