International Focus Magazine Vol. 4, #4 | Page 24

of Argentina Mauricio Macri walked and sat enjoying coffee at a sidewalk of Hanoi (February 20, 2019) .... Perhaps there is no evidence more vivid and convincing than those. Perhaps, the modesty, friendliness and hospitality of the Hanoi people have touched the hearts of domestic and international tourists. Therefore, through the polls of millions of read- ers around the world, many travel newspapers and websites famous worldwide such as Telegraph (UK); CNN, Trip Advisor (USA), Smart Travel Asia (Hong Kong - China) ... have continuously honored the Ha- noi Capitol has been honored con- tinuously as one of the destinations worth visiting in Asia and the world. strongly developing the types of pub- lic and MICE tourism (Meeting In- centive Conference Event - a type of tourism in combination with organi- zation of conferences, seminars, cul- tural, sports and commercial events ...) in the coming time. Elegant and hospitable people Besides relics, beauty spots and natu- ral landscapes, long-time cultural tra- ditions with rich identity, and rich cuisine, Hanoi is also famous as a peaceful city with friendly and hos- pitable people. Immediately after landing at Noi Bai airport, US President Donald Trump immediately posted his sta- tus on his Twitter account, expressing his gratitude for the warm welcome of Hanoi’s leaders and people: “I just arrived in Vietnam. Thank you to all of the people for the great reception in Hanoi. Tremendous crowd and so much love”. Previously, many stories about the Hanoi people’s friendliness, warm reception and readiness to help in- 24 iF Magazine |April 2019 ternational guests have been widely shared. Voluntarily decorating stores to welcome the US-North Korea Summit, providing free barber ser- vices, organizing tours of city experi- ence and discovery for foreign jour- nalists not only promoted Hanoi’s image but also showed the respect of Hanoi authorities and people for the Summit as well as the large number of international journalists coming to the Capital on this occasion.… These features constitute an attrac- tive tourism resource and unique charm of the thousand-year-old city in the viewpoints of tourists and in- ternational friends, including poli- ticians and the heads of the States. Prime Minister of Australia, John Howard, ran in the morning around Hoan Kiem Lake (November 2006), US President Barack Obama ate Bun Cha in a popular restaurant on Le Van Huu street and chatted with a tea vendor at Me Tri market gate ( May 2016), President of France Francois Hollande walked and shook hands to greet the Hanoi people and came to a café to chat with students (Septem- ber 2016), most recently, President On March 29, 2019, the world’s largest travel website TripAdvisor announced a list of the 25 most at- tractive destinations in Asia. The four cities of Vietnam have been listed therein, namely Hanoi, Hoi An, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Viet- nam’s Hanoi capital, which attracts many tourists, ranks fourth in the list. Along with the tourist attractions familiar with domestic and foreign tourists such as the Ancient Quarter around Hoan Kiem Lake, Temple of Literature – Quoc Tu Giam Relic Site, Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, Ho Chi Minh Presidential Palace Histori- cal Site..., tourists also pay attention to craft villages and tourist attrac- tions around Hanoi or traditional art shows, which are considered as the tourism “specialties” of the Capital of Thousand Years of Civilization. Source: Consulate of Vietnam in Houston Consulate General of Vietnam in Houston 5251 Westheimer Rd, Suite 1100 Houston, TX 77056 Tel: (713) 850 1233 Fax: (713) 871 0312 vietnamconsulateinhouston.org