Ho Citadel was built with cubic stone blocks without any cohesive material at 900 metres long and 700 metres wide is one of the attraction to Thanh Hoa Province. — Photo vietnamtourism

THANH HOA (VNS)  — The northern province of Thanh Hoa will host the National Tourism Year 2015 in mid-March next year, with a focus on connecting Viet Nam's world heritage sites.

The People's Committee of Thanh Hoa organised a meeting on Tuesday to announce the activities that will be held throughout 2015.

The city is ready to host this event, the largest for the tourism sector of the country.

Under the theme ‘Connecting World Heritage Sites', several activities that will highlight the nation's cultural values and its eight world cultural heritage sites are in the works.

The programme will include a grand opening ceremony introducing the world heritage in Thanh Hoa, a folk song competition in April, a sea tourism festival, an international sculpture camp in May and a gastronomy festival in June, among others.

Provinces and cities nationwide, with world heritage sites such as Ha Noi, Phu Tho and Quang Ninh, as well as Thua Thien-Hue and Lam Dong, will also host cultural, sports and tourism events throughout the year.

The programme is expected to promote the tangible and intangible cultural heritage and natural tourist attractions in Viet Nam to domestic and international visitors, while boosting tourism co-operation between Thanh Hoa and other localities in the region and across the country.

In 2015, the province expects to attract about 100,000 foreign tourists and about 5.5 million domestic tourists.

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hoang Tuan Anh called for greater efforts to publicise the event, upgrade accommodations and promote historic relics, and asked the concerned localities to finalise the cultural programmes for the opening ceremony.

The National Tourism Year is a major event in Viet Nam's hospitality sector. The hosting of the event is decided annually and is assigned by the government and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Located 150km to the south of Ha Noi and 1,560km to the north of HCM City, Thanh Hoa is a key national tourism destination. With a magnificent history and cultural tradition, the city is home to several national heroes and cultural celebrities. It has more than 1,500 relic sites. In particular, the Citadel of the Ho Dynasty was recognised as a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO. Along with that, hundreds of festivals, folk songs, dances and local specialities also contribute to developing the Thanh Hoa tourism brand. — VNS