(VNF) - Cities and provinces nationwide were bustling during Lunar New Year - the biggest festive season in Vietnam.

During the period, the flow of tourists to the capital city of Hanoi topped 230,600, up 7.5 percent year-on-year, in which foreigners account for 27.1 percent. Hanoi’s tourist attractions include the Temple of Literature, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Ngoc Son and Quan Thanh temples, Tran Quoc pagoda, and Hoa Lo prison museum.

In the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai, from January 29 – February 10, cultural and sport events have been held as part of the National Tourism Year 2017 Lao Cai - Northwest. According to the culture-information office of Lao Cai’s Sa Pa district, nearly 40,000 people visited Sa Pa, including about 5,000 foreigners. In only two days, January 31 and February 1, spiritual sights of interest such as Bao Ha and Phuc Khanh temples in Bao Yen district, Tan Bao pagoda and Doi Co temple drew tens of thousands of holidaymakers.

In the northern province of Tuyen Quang, on January 31, the annual boat racing contest on the Lo river attracted tens of thousands of local residents and visitors.

Yen Tu Pagoda is the most popular destination of spiritual tourism in Quang Ninh (source: baomoi.com)

From January 26 – February 1, the northeastern province of Quang Ninh welcomed more than 800,000 tourists, 45% up compared to last year, generating a revenue of over VND900 billion. Approximately 32,000 visitors have entered the province through Mong Cai international border gate

During Tet, tourist arrivals of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay surpassed 70,000. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, around 5,000 passengers visited the bay by vessels, marking a 20 percent rise compared to common days. Besides, the number of visitors to local relic sites was estimated at 630,000, with major sites being famous pagodas namely Yen Tu Pagoda, Ba Vang, Long Tien, Cai Bau and Cua Ong temple.

In the South, Mekong Delta attracted around tens of thousands of visitors during Lunar New Year holidays./.

( VNF/NDO )