Tourist arrivals in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue in the first two months of 2018 rose sharply by 46.6 percent from a year earlier to over 715,960, partly thanks to various activities held during the Lunar New Year holiday (Tet).

Tourism revenue of local accommodation establishments is estimated at 249.2 billion VND (10.9 million USD) in the two months, up almost 13.8 percent from the same period last year.

Visitors to Thien Mu Pagoda in Hue city (Photo: VNA)

On the six days of Tet from February 14 to 19 (the 29th day of the last lunar month to the fourth day of the Lunar New Year), the province welcomed more than 110,000 visitors and gained over 66.28 billion VND (2.9 million USD) in tourism revenue.

During the Tet holiday, the Flag Tower in the Hue Imperial City was decorated with 1,000 LED lights, becoming a highlight of the city at night.

Other relic sites such as the tombs of the Nguyen kings and Thien Mu Pagoda also organised a number of activities to serve tourists.

An exhibition was opened at the Tomb of King Minh Mang during Tet, giving visitors an insight into the life of the kings under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), the last ruling monarchical family in Vietnam.

Sung An Palace, located in the area of Minh Mang’s tomb, was also the venue of another exhibition that displayed the belongings of this king.

The Complex of Hue Monuments was the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in Vietnam after it was recognised in 1993.