From late September this year, international visitors to Viet Nam will be able to take free walking tours in Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang, Ha Noi, Hoi An and Ha Long.

An 'ao dai' (Vietnamese traditional long dress) fashion show on Dao Duy Tu walking street in Ha Noi. (Credit: Duy Linh/NDO)

The tour will be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a schedule to visit famous local attractions, with free tour guides to promote the image of Viet Nam to foreign visitors, especially those who want to discover the beauty of local land and people.

This is a non-profit product developed by Vietravel Company, designed to create a free travel walking network, and to help foreign visitors gain more experience on the history, culture, people and cuisine of Viet Nam.  All international visitors and overseas Vietnamese can register to participate in the tour at no cost.

At each locality, the tour is designed in a unique way for visitors to explore and experience historical sites, markets and street food.  Each walking tour will last for 2-3 hours, depending on the specific destination, and it will be accompanied by local guides. For ticket-required places, tour guides will only let travellers visit the outside.

In Ha Noi, visitors will be able to experience the attraction of the ‘When the Old Quarter lights up’ product to visit such as destinations as the Ha Noi Opera House, Ly Thai To Flower Garden, Ngoc Son Temple, The Huc Bridge, Pen Tower, Ba Kieu Temple and the late President Ho Chi Minh Memorial House.

In Ho Chi Minh City, visitors will enjoy a wide range of products, including a tour entitled ‘the Pearl of the Far East’ that will bring visitors to famous local places including Ben Thanh Market, Notre Dame Cathedral and the city’s Post Office.

In addition, the southern economic hub will also open a new pedestrian-only book street on Nguyen Dong Chi Street in District 7 in October, offering a series of activities promoting reading culture. It will be the second pedestrian book street in Ho Chi Minh City to be opened, after Nguyen Van Binh Street in District 1.

The free walking tour model will be expanded into other localities, including Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Vinh, Ca Mau, Rach Gia and Phu Quoc in the near future to create a network to help visitors gain more experience when coming to Viet Nam.

(Source: NDO/ DA NANG Today)