Tour operators see a surge of interest in North Korea
Tour bookings to North Korea have surged sharply after the North Korea-US Summit was held in Hanoi in February.
Since 2018, many travel agents in Vietnam such as HanoiRedTour, Vietravel and Saigontourist have also started opening more tours to North Korea. Each package costs from VND29m (USD1,200) to VND33m per person for tours last from five days four nights to eight days seven nights.
Since there's no Vietnam-North Korea direct flight, tourists still have to transit to China.
Bich Hue, the representative of HanoiRedTour, said they were one of the first companies to open tours to North Korea in Vietnam. In Vietnam, since late 2018, the number of tour bookings has been on the rise. Every month, HanoiRedTour receives three to four groups that have 20 to 25 people each to North Korea. Hue said the number of tourists would increase even more in the next few months because of the flower blooming season.
"Besides new infrastructure development, simple visa procedure is another attractive factor. Tourists don't have to prove their financial ability and have to wait from two to three weeks," she said.
Pham Van Bay, the representative of Vietravel, said after the North Korea-US Summit they were preparing to serve 1,000 Vietnamese tourists who had booked tours from March to November. According to Bay, North Korea was not attractive to local tourists previously because of limited Internet connection, lack of international brands, direct flight route and strict immigration regulations.
Tourists will have to travel to China, take about one hour to complete procedure and have an over one-hour flight to North Korea.
Saigontourist also sees healthy growth in the number of tour bookings. After the summit, they receive two groups to North Korea every month and have had good feedback from many tourists. It is hoped that Vietnam will have a direct flight soon since currently, only Air China is flying to North Korea.
There are nine well-known tourist attractions in North Korea such as the Mansudae Grand Monument and the Korean Demilitarized Zone. There are still many specific rules so tourists are advised to not travel solo.
Visitors are allowed to bring mobile phones and cameras but taking photos or video will be limited. They are not allowed to take photos of the North Korean people or military while they are working. They must also dress properly when going to the Kumsusan Palace of Sun.
Despite many rules and the fact that visitors can only use the hotels' Internet, the travel agents assured that visitors will be given supports when travelling in groups.
A Vietnamese tourist group in North Korea
Since 2018, many travel agents in Vietnam such as HanoiRedTour, Vietravel and Saigontourist have also started opening more tours to North Korea. Each package costs from VND29m (USD1,200) to VND33m per person for tours last from five days four nights to eight days seven nights.
Since there's no Vietnam-North Korea direct flight, tourists still have to transit to China.
Bich Hue, the representative of HanoiRedTour, said they were one of the first companies to open tours to North Korea in Vietnam. In Vietnam, since late 2018, the number of tour bookings has been on the rise. Every month, HanoiRedTour receives three to four groups that have 20 to 25 people each to North Korea. Hue said the number of tourists would increase even more in the next few months because of the flower blooming season.
"Besides new infrastructure development, simple visa procedure is another attractive factor. Tourists don't have to prove their financial ability and have to wait from two to three weeks," she said.
Pham Van Bay, the representative of Vietravel, said after the North Korea-US Summit they were preparing to serve 1,000 Vietnamese tourists who had booked tours from March to November. According to Bay, North Korea was not attractive to local tourists previously because of limited Internet connection, lack of international brands, direct flight route and strict immigration regulations.
Tourists will have to travel to China, take about one hour to complete procedure and have an over one-hour flight to North Korea.
Saigontourist also sees healthy growth in the number of tour bookings. After the summit, they receive two groups to North Korea every month and have had good feedback from many tourists. It is hoped that Vietnam will have a direct flight soon since currently, only Air China is flying to North Korea.
There are nine well-known tourist attractions in North Korea such as the Mansudae Grand Monument and the Korean Demilitarized Zone. There are still many specific rules so tourists are advised to not travel solo.
Visitors are allowed to bring mobile phones and cameras but taking photos or video will be limited. They are not allowed to take photos of the North Korean people or military while they are working. They must also dress properly when going to the Kumsusan Palace of Sun.
Despite many rules and the fact that visitors can only use the hotels' Internet, the travel agents assured that visitors will be given supports when travelling in groups.
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