Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) On the first day of 2026, numerous international tourists arrived in Vietnam with great anticipation, embarking on their visits, experiences, and explorations in this Southeast Asian country. Welcome events were held simultaneously in various locations, including the Friendship Border Crossing in Lang Son Province and the Hoi An Ancient Town in Quang Nam Province, to warmly welcome the first batch of inbound tourists of the new year and kick off the tourism industry's development for the coming year.
Friendship Border Crossing: Welcoming the First Batch of International Tourists from the China-Vietnam Border
On the morning of January 1st, the Lang Son Provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center, in conjunction with relevant units, held a grand welcome ceremony at the Friendship International Border Crossing on the Vietnam-China border to welcome the first international tourist group of 2026 to enter Lang Son Province through this border crossing.
This welcome event was of special significance, marking a good start to the tourism industry in Lang Son Province in the new year and fully demonstrating the local people's warm and friendly hospitality and open attitude towards welcoming guests.
Hoang Xuan Thuan, Director of the Lang Son Provincial Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Center, stated that the local government hopes to convey sincere gratitude and goodwill to tourists and tourism businesses through this event, leaving a positive first impression and attracting more people to choose Lang Son as their travel destination in 2026. He emphasized that Lang Son will continue to optimize its tourism environment, strengthen security measures, and improve service quality in the future, while also cultivating its unique local resources and creating differentiated tourism products to ensure every visitor has an unforgettable experience.
The Friendship International Border Crossing was bustling with activity on the first day of the new year, filled with a festive atmosphere and expectations for a successful start to the tourism and border trade services industries. Inbound tourists, their faces beaming with joy and excitement, officially began their New Year's journey to explore the "Hometown of Lang Son." Ms. Wei Xuefang from Haikou, China, was among the first group of inbound tourists. She specifically chose to travel through the Friendship Border Crossing on the first day of the new year, hoping for good fortune and praying for a smooth year ahead, good health, and peace.
According to relevant departments in Lang Son province, the province's tourism industry achieved remarkable results in 2025, receiving approximately 4.4 million tourists throughout the year, including over 300,000 international tourists, generating a total tourism revenue of VND 4.5 trillion. Currently, Lang Son province has prioritized border tourism as a key development pillar, actively deepening tourism cooperation with Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China. The successful implementation of the "two-day, one-night" border tourism route (with a travel permit) is a significant and tangible achievement of cross-border tourism cooperation between the two sides. These achievements not only demonstrate Lang Son's continuously increasing attractiveness in the regional and international tourism markets but also highlight the solid results of local tourism promotion and product development efforts.
Hoi An Ancient Town: Philippine Tour Group Makes First Visit of the New Year
On the same morning, the Hoi An City Government, in conjunction with the Da Nang City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, held a "Welcome the First Batch of Tourists to Visit Hoi An Ancient Town in 2026" event at the Bridge Temple in Hoi An Ancient Town, Quang Nam Province. The first tour group to arrive that day consisted of 29 Filipino tourists, organized and received by Visit Indochina.
Van Ba Son, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, pointed out that this event not only opened up Hoi An's exploration journey for tourists but also embodied the expectation for a booming tourism industry in 2026, injecting new vitality into Da Nang and the Ancient Town of Hoi An. He stated that the Philippines is an important potential tourism market for Hoi An, especially aligning with its positioning as a cultural heritage tourism destination and a place for in-depth experiences of local life and culture.
For local residents and tourists alike, welcoming the first tourists on the first day of the new year has become a distinctive tradition in Hoi An. This ceremony is not only a solemn greeting for the new year but also symbolizes the official start of a year full of festive atmosphere and cultural activities. Through this event, Hoi An continues to send a clear signal to the international community: this World Heritage city always opens its doors, welcoming friends from all over the world to experience its unique cultural heritage, distinctive cuisine, lifestyle, and the sincere hospitality of its local residents, further solidifying Da Nang and Hoi An's core image as "safe, friendly, and highly attractive" on the global tourism map.
Pham Phu Ngoc, director of the Hoi An World Cultural Heritage Conservation Center, revealed that in 2026, the center will closely align with the overall development direction of Da Nang's tourism industry, adapt to new global tourism trends, and launch a series of new cultural tourism products. The focus will be on creating a "differentiated exploration and immersive experience" model, building a creative tourism ecosystem that matches the city's title as a "Creative City of Handicrafts and Folk Arts." Key products include the nighttime tour "Memories Against the Current," the Hoi An Architectural Heritage Decoding Tour, the "Touching Heritage Tour," traditional handicrafts and folk arts experience activities, the special program "Traditional Hoi An Drama Imprints," and the construction of new art and creative spaces. Through these measures, the quality of Hoi An tourism will be further enhanced, making the image of a "Creative Heritage City" more deeply ingrained in people's minds. (End)
