World cultural and natural heritage sites in Vietnam continued to make great strides forward in local tourism promotion last year, attracting a large number of tourists to visit or research the sites and bolstering cultural exchanges and the promotion of the country’s image. Revenue from heritage visits also contributed substantially to the local and national economies.

According to figures from the General Statistics Office, the number of visitors to Vietnam’s eight world heritage sites in 2019 rose remarkably. Ha Long Bay in northern Quang Ninh province welcomed 4.4 million visitors, including 2.9 million international tourists and 1.5 million domestic travelers. Revenue reached VND1.2 trillion ($53.4 million).

The Trang An Landscape Complex in northern Ninh Binh province, meanwhile, welcomed 6.3 million visitors, including 5.56 million domestic travelers and 759,859 international tourists. Revenue was VND867 billion ($37.4 million). The Hue Monuments Complex catered to 3.3 million visitors, of which 2.2 million were international tourists and 1.1 million domestic travelers, with revenue reaching VND378 billion ($16.3 million).

Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in central Quang Binh province welcomed 921,000 visitors, including 170,000 international visitors and over 751,000 domestic visitors. Revenue was VND266 billion ($11.5 million).

Hoi An Ancient Town in central Quang Nam province welcomed 5.35 million visitors. Four million were international visitors and over 1.35 million were domestic visitors, with revenue standing at VND300 billion ($12.9 million).

Also in central Quang Nam province, My Son Sanctuary welcomed 419,000 visitors, of which 374,000 were international visitors and 45,000 were domestic visitors. Revenue was VND61 billion ($2.6 million).

The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long in Hanoi welcomed 461,715 visitors, 230,459 of which were international visitors and 231,256 were domestic visitors. Revenue reached VND11.1 billion ($479,000).

The Citadel of the Ho Dynasty in northern Thanh Hoa province welcomed 126,660 visitors, including 7,255 international visitors and 119,405 domestic visitors. Revenue reached VND2.1 billion ($90,000).