Korean and Vietnamese partners agree to boost tourism industry

ĐÀ NẴNG — A trilateral mutual cooperation agreement on tourism development and attraction of foreign tourists has been inked by three partners – the Jeollanam-do Tourism Organisation of South Jeolla Province, or Jeonnam, South Korea, the Đà Nẵng City Tourism Association and Đà Nẵng-based Lotte Phú Khánh Duty Free Trading Company.

The three-partner memorandum of understanding will help establish a cooperative framework for closer collaboration among the parties based on mutual trust and respect in order to expand tourism.

The Jeollanam-do Tourism Organisation will provide quality tourism infrastructure and administrative convenience for tourists from both regions, while boosting online and offline promotional marketing at the targeted destinations, as well as supporting FAM tours at new tourist resources.

The Korean partner will also join improving the tourism reception capacity of destinations support for product sales and operations.

The President of the Jeollanam-do Tourism Organisation in Korea Kim Young-shin, said the partnership agreement will lay the foundation for the joint development of the tourism industry across both regions.

“Korea and Việt Nam have actively engaged in exchange across many areas since establishing diplomatic relations. From cultural, sports and financial cooperation to tourism, education, employment and exchange, the interactions between our two nations have played a crucial role in connecting Korea and Việt Nam,” Kim Young-shin said.

“Last year, 3.6 million Korean tourists visited Việt Nam and the number of Vietnamese tourists visiting Korea exceeded 420,000, a surge since the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the largest and most important tourism market in Southeast Asia. We expect that the number of tourists traveling between our countries would surpass five million for the first time this year.

“Jeollanam-do World Tourism Culture Expo 2024-26 is a mega event to promote the globalisation of five major local tourism resources: Dulle-gil (circular island trails), Namdo cuisine, wellness, Namdo K-culture and Namdo fishing villages and the ‘Yeosu World Island Expo 2026’ featuring islands in Jeollanam-do, with a total of 2,165 islands,” he said.

He also suggested Vietnamese tourists should visit and experience the beauty and flavour of Jeollanam-do to see the golden autumn leaves, or later the romantic winter snowfall.

Lotte Phú Khánh Duty Free Trading Company, which had already opened centres in Hà Nội, Nha Trang and Đà Nẵng cities, has registered an investment capital of VNĐ800 billion (US$32 million) in Đà Nẵng City.

Korean tourists accounted for a 41.3 per cent share of total international visitors (3.17 million) into Đà Nẵng in the first nine months of 2024.

The central coastal hub hosts up to 25 daily flights from Seoul, Daegu, Muan and Cheongju in Korea, half of all the international flights into the city each day.

Elswhere in Việt Nam, the Korean wave seems to have come to stay. This weekend , Hồ Chí Minh City hosts the 3rd Korea - Việt Nam Festival. VNS