Hanoi and Danang will become the country’s first two cities to launch a big sale program designed to spur consumer spending and shopping tourism.
The capital city of Hanoi will kick off the Impressive Vietnam Grand Sale 2010 on August 11 and the central coast city of Danang on August 19. HCMC has yet to decide the start date for the program.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) plans to start the two-month program this month as part of the national tourism marketing campaign “Vietnam – Your Destinationâ€.
At the request of VNAT, the departments of culture-sports-tourism and industry-trade of the three cities would have to team up to carry out the program. In two months, local and international tourists could enjoy discounts of 10% to 40% at shopping centers, supermarkets, and retail outlets among others in Hanoi, HCMC, and Danang.
However, unlike similar big sale programs in neighboring countries like Thailand and Singapore, promotional activities for the event have remained insufficient. Other incentives like visa fee exemptions for international travelers and VAT refunds have not been worked out.