Three new highlights of Vietnam tourism in 2018

PSNews - In 2018, Vietnam welcomed 15 million international arrivals. This is considered a great achievement of the Vietnamese tourism industry. What has made domestic and international media mention Vietnam for many times over the past year is unprecedented impressive architectural works.

1. Da Nang’s Golden Bridge

The Golden Bridge located within the Sun World Ba Na Hills complex, in Da Nang. This amazing structure drew special attention from both international tourists and media. 

Opened in June 2018, the Golden Bridge has attracted a large number of tourist with its unique design. The bridge looks like a golden silk strip cut in the middle of the sky, lifted by two giant hands of the god mountain. 

Nearly six months after the launch, the Golden Bridge still remained hot on the world's top famous news channels such as CNN, BBC, Telegraph, New York Times, AFP, Huffington Post, Independent ... International newspapers and media used the most beautiful words to praise the Golden Bridge as an unmatched unique bridge in the world.

The bridge was also listed among the world top 100 most wonderful destinations by The Times, and it was also the only place in Vietnam on the list of the 124 most impressive tourist photos of people and tourism activities of 2018 by CNN. 

Recently, along with the Hoang Lien Son range, the image of the Golden Bridge appeared on the big screen in Times Square, New York, USA.

Only one month after the launch, the number of visitors to Da Nang increased 107.5% compared to the previous month and  119.7% year-on-year.

2. Van Don International Airport

Officially put into operation on December 30, Van Don International Airport had been invested by Sun Group with total investment of VND7.5 trillion (US$330 million) under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model. The airport is considered core tourist infrastructure of the country in general and Quang Ninh in particular.

The construction of the airport started in 2015, covering 325 hectares in Doan Ket Commune, Van Don District. Van Don International Airport is a 4E-level airport (according to the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization - ICAO), a second-level military airport, which is able to welcome all of the most modern aircraft in the world.

As planned, the airport will have capacity of 2-2.5 million passengers per year in 2020, and the figure will increase to five million by 2030. This international airport is also equipped with the most modern facilities.

The architecture of the airport features the distinctive cultural identity of Ha Long Bay and is friendly to the environment as it has cool green spaces, miniatures and Koi fish ponds inside and outside the airport.

The inception of Van Don International Airport helps ease the overload of existing airports across the country on one hand; and it creates a strong motivation for Quang Ninh to promote socio-economic development, as well as facilitates development of Vietnam tourism.

3. Ha Long International Passenger Terminal

The Ha Long International Passenger Terminal was opened on December 30, 2018. It can receive vessels with capacity of up to 225,000 GRT and 8,460 people aboard, and serve two vessels at the same time.

With a total investment of VND 1,032 billion (~US$45 million), the Ha Long International Passenger Terminal (Bai Chay, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province) is located next to the entertainment complex Sun World Halong Complex, which welcomes thousands of international tourists every year. 

Designed by famous architect Bill Bensley, the Ha Long International Passenger Terminal has become an attractive tourist destination, contributing to a civilized, modern and attractive tourism infrastructure network of Quang Ninh.

By Linh Bui

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