The workshop was jointly held by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the provincial People’s Committee.

20 speeches at the workshop broadly discussed the positive and negative effects of the local tourism industry. It also worked out practical and strategic solutions for tourism planning and investment, environmental and forest protection, improvement of landscapes and buildings and tourism promotion through images and unique products to meet different market tastes.

Other topics included tourism cooperation between regions, among key triangles and across the country, human resource training and enhancement public awareness of the need to get involved in development projects as well as management skills of tourism administrative agencies.

Coming to the exhibition, visitors can enjoy pictures of the bay divided into five categories: Halong Bay – outstanding value; Halong Bay- from National to World Heritage; 15- year achievements in managing the Heritage Site; Halong Bay - contributions to local and national socio-economic development; and Halong Bay – potential and development in the future.

During the exhibition, there was a campaign to vote for Halong Bay as one of the world’s seven natural wonders. Visitors can vote for Halong by accessing the computer set at the exhibition.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Dao Van Binh said the Huong Pagoda Festival is the biggest and longest annual festival in Vietnam that lasts through three spring months, welcoming more than 1 million pilgrims and tourists each year.

Since the first day of the first lunar month, over 160,000 tourists have visited Huong Pagoda, said Nguyen Van Hau, Vice Chairman of the My Duc District People’s Committee and Head of the Festival Organising Board.

Nearly 200 high-quality boats have been added to the fleet of more than 4,000 boats to serve tourists during this year’s festival, he added.

Also the same day, exhibitions of Buddhist antiques and fine arts opened at the compound of the Thien Tru Pagoda as activities to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha – Hanoi chapter.

A Buddhist Culture Week and a ceremony to float flower garlands and coloured lanterns on the Yen Stream will be held during the festival.

At a meeting jointly held by the People’s Committee of Hanoi City and VASS on March 31, the two sides agreed that the showcase must comply with the Heritage Law and meet the demand and aspiration of people who want to study the relic site.

Relevant agencies are required to build a careful and quality plan for the display of the special tourist site’s relics before summiting it to the authorised level for approval.

Also at the meeting, historians and archaeologists said that initial studies have discovered the special cultural values of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel relic complex. It was a centre of the Chinese and Indian cultures lasting through 13 centuries and was also Vietnam’s national administrative centre from the feudal dynasties of Ly and Tran to the era of Ho Chi Minh.

The Thang Long Imperial Citadel relic site is one of the 10 special national relics nominated for UNESCO recognition as a world cultural heritage in 2010.