Chart of Number of 3-5 Star Hotel Rooms in Hanoi From 2000

114 rainy days a year. A distinct feature of Hanoi's climate is the change and difference between the hot and cold seasons. The hot season lasts from May to September, with heavy rain and an average temperature of 28.1 °C. From November to March of the following year is winter with an average temperature of 18.6 °C. During this period, the number of sunny days in the city is very low, the sky is often covered with clouds and fog, and in February, on average, there are only 1.8 hours of sunlight per day. Along with two transitional periods in April (spring) and October (autumn), the city has all four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter. The great change in Hanoi's weather during the seasons is also one of the features that makes Hanoi attractive.

(Hanoi Climate Data – Vietnam Tourism Association – 2013).

2.2. Overview of Hanoi's tourism products

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Hanoi – The thousand-year-old capital of Vietnam, possesses a rich history and culture. Through the ups and downs of history, until now, Hanoi has a blend of ancient and modern beauty with rich and diverse tourism products.

2.2.1. Tourist attractions in Hanoi

2.2.1.1. Historical and cultural relics

Hanoi is famous for its ancient and quiet beauty as evidence of the weathering of time over 1000 years of development. Although significantly affected by the development process, historical and cultural relics are still clear evidence of the strong survival of Hanoi's core human values. Hanoi possesses

5,175 relics account for nearly 15% of the total number of relics in Vietnam, of which 2,209 relics are ranked as national relics, accounting for more than 42.65% of the total (data from Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism - 2013).

Some typical historical and cultural relics of Hanoi include:

One Pillar Pagoda: A highlight of Hanoi Buddhism with its unique architecture designed like a lotus platform in the middle of a lake, considered by many experts to be extremely unique.

Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam: is the place to worship Confucius, place the doctoral steles and is also the first university of Vietnam. 82 doctoral steles placed here were recognized by UNESCO as a World Documentary Heritage on March 9, 2010.

Hanoi Cathedral: Hanoi Cathedral (official name: St. Joseph's Cathedral) is the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Hanoi, where the Archbishop's throne is located. This is one of the typical ancient architectural works of Hanoi.

In addition, there are many other famous temples and pagodas in Hanoi such as: Hoe Nhai Pagoda, Lang Pagoda, Lien Phai Pagoda, Quan Su Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ngoc Temple.

Son, Voi Phuc Temple, Quan Thanh Temple, Bat Trang Communal House, Kim Lien Communal House, Tinh Lau Pagoda, Tay Ho Palace, Bach Ma Temple, Huong Pagoda.

Cultural relics such as: Hanoi Old Quarter, Quan Chuong Gate, Thang Long Four Towns, Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

Along with other historical sites: Ba Dinh Square - Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hoa Lo, House 48 Hang Ngang (where Ho Chi Minh wrote the Declaration of Independence of Vietnam), House 5D Ham Long (where the first Communist Party cell was established), Hanoi Citadel, Co Loa Citadel, B52 Victory Monument... places marking the heroic historical periods of the Vietnamese people in general and the people of Hanoi in particular.

2.2.1.2. Natural attractions

Not possessing long poetic beaches or majestic mountains and plateaus, Hanoi also possesses natural beauty that is not inferior to other tourist destinations in the country.

Hoan Kiem Lake (also known as Sword Lake) along with Turtle Tower and The Huc Bridge has become a symbol of Hanoi, with the legend of King Le Thai To returning the sword to the divine turtle on the lake, attracting a lot of attention from domestic and foreign tourists.

West Lake is also known as Misty Lake (Dam Dam), Golden Buffalo Lake (Kim Nguu Lake), and Xac Cao Lake. Each name preserves a legend about the origin of the legendary West Lake.

Besides the two famous places mentioned above, Hanoi also owns a system of nearly 80 large and small lakes throughout the inner city and suburbs, this is also one of the interesting features of Hanoi's landscape, contributing to attracting tourists.

After August 1, 2008, the old Ha Tay city was merged into Hanoi, contributing to Hanoi tourism with many more attractive destinations, mainly natural landscapes that still retain some of the rustic, wild features of the suburbs such as: Ba Vi National Park, Ao Vua, Khoang Xanh, Suoi Hai, Dong Mo, Thien Son - Suoi Nga (Suoi Oi), Suoi Ngoc - Vua Ba, Bang Ta, Dam Long, Quan Son, Dong Xuong, Van Son... each landscape contains unique features, stories, and legends, both arousing tourists' curiosity to explore the history of each land and giving them a new, exciting feeling when being close to nature.

However, contrary to the favor of nature, humans are having destructive actions that seriously affect the landscape and environment of these famous tourist attractions. There is a sad reality that people living in Hanoi seem to be all too familiar with, which is the disorganized and widespread appearance of garbage. According to the Institute of Environmental Science and Development (VESDEC), currently all rivers and lakes in Hanoi are in a state of pollution,

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with waste indicators much higher than the prescribed level. This is a sad truth, if the authorities do not take specific actions, if the people do not change their awareness, not only will the natural environment be destroyed, but it will also destroy the image of Hanoi in the eyes of domestic and international tourists, negatively affecting tourism, simply put, no tourist is interested in a place with an image associated with waste and pollution.

2.2.1.3. Other destinations

In addition to historical and natural heritages, Hanoi also owns a system of nearly 20 museums, such as the Museum of History, the Military Museum, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, ... Of which, 2 museums were ranked in the top 25 most attractive museums in Asia by the world's leading prestigious travel site Tripadvisor at the end of June 2013: the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology ranked 6th, and the Vietnam Women's Museum ranked 11th. However, apart from the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, the remaining large number of museums seem to be forgotten in the imagination of tourists when coming to Hanoi. According to statistics from the Vietnam Museum of History, the number of visitors to the museum from 2008 to 2011 decreased from 167,000 to 1,000.

73,000 people, by 2013, this number had dropped to approximately 48,000 visitors. It seems that museums are being forgotten on the tourist map of Hanoi.

Entertainment venues are also notable tourist attractions in Hanoi. Besides the "traditional" places of Hanoi such as Thu Le Park, West Lake entertainment complex, Khoang Xanh eco-tourism area, Suoi Hai. In recent years, Hanoi has had more large-scale entertainment areas such as Thien Duong Bao Son, Time City and Royal City. These places are all invested in a large scale, with campuses and facilities that are not inferior to famous entertainment venues in Asia. As one of the proofs, Hanoi is the capital that combines the ancient beauty of the quintessential values of history and culture with the modern beauty radiating from luxurious buildings.

2.2.2. Hanoi culture

2.2.2.1. People

Along with thousands of years of development history, through many generations, Hanoi and its people have cultivated and created very unique cultural features of the land that is the capital of a country with thousands of years of civilization through many dynasties. The very unique cultural characteristics of Hanoi people have been summarized relatively consistently in many studies by famous scholars on Hanoi such as the topic "Cultural features of Hanoi people" by Dr. of Cultural Studies Le Thi Tuyet Hanh, "Thang Long - Hanoi - a thousand years of tradition and elegance" by researcher Giang Quan and many other scholars.

Through research topics, the culture of Hanoi people can be summarized with two words: "Elegant". The ancient Hanoi people, whether civil servants or traders, all had a common style of being quick, skillful in speaking, open and smiling, each sentence and word spoken was carefully considered, sometimes a bit polite, not rash. As intellectuals, middle-class people, they paid more attention to their demeanor and manners, which had to be slow and polite. Hanoi culture was also expressed through their clothing. The ancient Hanoi people liked simple, delicate, and elegant clothing, which properly reflected their social status and profession.

However, after a period of industrialization and modernization, Hanoi today is a dream city that many Vietnamese people want to settle down and make a living. According to statistics from Hanoi City Police, as of June 2013, Hanoi had about 7.4 million permanent residents and more than 1 million seasonal workers. The average annual mechanical population growth rate is about 750,000 people. With a large number of immigrants to Hanoi, along with changes in administrative boundaries, it is one of the reasons why Hanoi's culture has changed somewhat.

Instead of tranquility, elegance, and courtesy, life has become much more chaotic. The end of 2012 and throughout 2013 was a period when many cultural, historical, and social researchers continuously talked about concerns about the behavioral culture of Hanoians, represented by the trend of "scolding noodles and cursing porridge" in the behavior of a group of vendors towards tourists. This trend appeared strangely and left worrying consequences in the image of Hanoi in the eyes of international friends in particular and is a stain on Hanoi culture in general. Besides, there are many other worrying issues such as behavioral style in public places and Hanoi - with the problem of garbage appearing everywhere in the city.

2.2.2.2. Festivals

Vietnamese people in general and Hanoi people in particular have been familiar with the presence of festivals in daily life for thousands of years, representing the spiritual life, the desire for peace, tranquility, favorable weather, safety and happiness of the Vietnamese people. According to the latest official statistics of the Department of Grassroots Culture (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), currently, Hanoi annually holds 1,070 festivals of various genres:

Royal festivals: This is a very interesting festival that only exists in Hue and Hanoi. However, if Hue is only the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty, Hanoi is the capital of many different dynasties, so the royal festivals in Hanoi have a more diverse culture and folk character than the Hue royal festivals. Some examples include the Dong Co festival, the Quang Chieu lantern festival, the festival of the four Thang Long towns, the festival of De Thich pagoda (the king's pagoda)...

Festivals to commemorate heroes: The most prominent is the Gióng festival - a festival of national stature, with a strange attraction for generations of Vietnamese people to the point of

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“On the ninth day of the fourth lunar month, if you don’t go to the Gióng festival, your life will be ruined.” Next are the Cổ Loa festival, Hạ Lôi festival – worshipping the Trung Sisters, and the Đồng Đà mound festival…

Festivals of the Immortals: Festivals commemorating the “Four Immortals” are Tan Vien Mountain God, Phu Dong Thien Vuong, Chu Dong Tu, and Princess Lieu Hanh: Giong Festival, Ba Vi Festival, Va Temple Festival, Tay Ho Palace Festival, and Ba Chua Kho Festival.

Temple and pagoda festivals: As a cultural and religious center, festivals such as those at Tay Ho Temple, Ghenh Temple, Ha Pagoda, Quan Su Pagoda, Phuc Khanh Pagoda, etc. have long been famous. Many other temple festivals such as Lang, Long Khanh, Phap Van, Mo, Ba Da, etc. are well-known. Especially the largest temple festival in the country - Huong Pagoda Festival - the largest and longest festival of the year.

Through many surveys, traditional festivals taking place in the city all have a common reality, the locations for holding festivals are increasingly limited due to encroachment and abuse; the commercialization of festivals is also common. Although it is said that these realities are the law of development and are very difficult to change, reality shows that in localities where communication work is carried out effectively, the festival identity is maintained and promoted more sustainably than in localities that do not pay attention to communication. Thus, in order for festivals - one of the unique values of Hanoi culture to contribute more effectively to the image of tourism, it is necessary to have stronger participation of the media to raise people's understanding and sense of responsibility in preserving the traditional beauty of Hanoi.

2.2.2.3. Traditional craft villages

Craft village tourism is a new direction, not only bringing craft villages a new direction of development, creating sustainable output, promoting the brand and products of craft villages, but it also contributes to the tourism industry an interesting destination with profound culture to introduce to tourists.

According to statistics of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in 2013, the city had

1,350 craft villages and villages with crafts account for nearly 59% of the total number of villages, of which 244 villages have traditional crafts. The number of villages with crafts is unevenly distributed, mostly concentrated in the districts: Phu Xuyen 124 villages, Thuong Tin 125 villages, Chuong My 174 villages, Ung Hoa 113 villages, Thanh Oai 101 villages, Ba Vi 91 villages..., of which 198 traditional craft villages have been recognized.

With such a large number of craft villages, in reality, not all craft villages can take advantage of the beauty of their long-standing traditions to attract tourists. In the Hanoi travel guide, there are only a few typical names listed in the list of unique traditional craft villages to introduce to tourists such as: Gold and silver jewelry street - Hang Bac, Bat Trang pottery village, Ngu Xa bronze casting village, Yen Thai paper village, Ninh Hiep fabric village, Van Phuc silk village Hanoi, Ngoc Ha flower village,

Nghi Tam, Nhat Tan, Quang Ba. Thus, a large number of craft villages in Hanoi have not really received the attention of tourism workers, specifically those who build tourism development strategies, leading to the failure to exploit their potential to bring tourists new, more unique and diverse products, thereby contributing to the development of tourism.

2.2.3. Accompanying services

2.2.3.1. Accommodation

As the capital and political and cultural center, Hanoi is the locality with the easiest access to investment sources to enhance the development of tourism infrastructure.

Chart 2.1. Chart of number of 3-5 star hotel rooms in Hanoi from 2000 - Quarter 1/2014

8,673

9,231

7,200

7,538

4,300

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

Number of rooms

2,000

2000 2010 2011 2013 Q1-2014

Source: Alternaty Real Estate Group

According to the statistical chart of the number of 3-5 star hotels in Hanoi, announced in the seminar on the development potential of the high-end hotel market segment organized by Alternaty real estate group in the first quarter of 2014, it can be seen that the 3-star and above hotels in Hanoi have always maintained a stable growth in quantity. Since 2000, with 4,300 rooms, after 10 years, the number of rooms has increased by nearly 70% to 7,200 in 2010 and continued to increase from 3 to 500 rooms each year in the following years.

According to the Department of Hotels – Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Hanoi is one of the cities in Vietnam equipped with a large, high-quality and constantly developing accommodation system. In the whole city of Hanoi, as of the first quarter of 2014, there were nearly 1,800 accommodation establishments, providing over 57,000 rooms, of which 57 hotels were 3-star or higher, providing 9,231 rooms.

However, there are conflicting opinions about the current state of accommodation facilities in Hanoi. According to the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, accommodation facilities in Hanoi are mainly hotels, motels, and guest houses that are not rated below 3 stars. The number of hotels with 3 stars or higher is not much, accounting for only nearly 3%, so tourists coming to Hanoi always encounter difficulties in booking rooms. Small hotels are always in a state of shortage of rooms and difficulties.

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in receiving large tourist groups, causing a limit on tourists' spending. In addition, the quality of facilities and services at small accommodation establishments is often not guaranteed, causing tourists to feel uncomfortable, thereby shortening their stay. Meanwhile, according to CRBE (Center for Business Research and Extension), revenue, room occupancy rate, room rates and revenue per room of 3-star hotels and above in Hanoi all decreased in 2012 and 2013 compared to the same period in previous years, causing investors to be hesitant in investing in the high-end hotel market in Hanoi.

In fact, owning the most luxurious hotels in the country needs to be turned into a strength of Hanoi. Promoting their brand to attract tourists is something that large hotel groups obviously have to do. However, to be more effective, promotional support from marketing strategies on a destination scale is extremely necessary, both promoting the development of accommodation facilities with great potential in the city and contributing to stimulating the consumption needs of tourists, thereby increasing spending on tourism in Hanoi.

2.2.3.2. Restaurants – Eateries

According to the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the system of shops and restaurants providing culinary services in Hanoi is developing quite strongly, with a high level of socialization, which has brought the capital a high position in the world and regional culinary tourism system. Dining establishments in Hanoi have recently developed rapidly, richly and diversely, from Asian and European restaurants, bars, cafes, fast food restaurants to traditional culinary streets such as Tong Duy Tan, and traditional specialty restaurants located in the old quarters - introducing Vietnamese and Hanoi culinary art.

However, when it comes to food service, service style is a very worrying issue in Hanoi. According to a survey conducted by Vietnamnet in December 2013, almost 100% of those surveyed said that the service style in Hanoi is very bad, the staff of restaurants and eateries in Hanoi showing unpleasant attitudes, "serving like chasing away customers" has become not strange to the people, or even those who have visited Hanoi. Just comparing with Ho Chi Minh City, the service in Hanoi is far behind in terms of service and customer satisfaction.

This is a worrying issue, because it not only affects a few individuals, or the food service industry alone, but it also affects the image of an entire city to all domestic and international tourists, creating false assessments of the people and culture of the entire locality.

2.2.3.3. Shopping and souvenir services

Shopping is a pleasure for tourists and is an integral part of tourism products, especially in tourist cities like Hanoi. With the increasing number of domestic and international tourists to Hanoi, combined with large domestic consumption, it has promoted the development of commercial activities and attracted many investors to this field. Currently, Hanoi has 10 large commercial centers with 84 supermarkets, hundreds of stores with a variety of goods to serve the diverse needs of people and tourists to Hanoi. Spending on shopping by visitors accounts for a large proportion from 15% to 26% (especially French, ASEAN, Asian and domestic visitors). In addition, Hanoi has many traditional handicrafts such as ceramics, embroidery, brocade, lacquer, mother-of-pearl inlay, oil paintings that are popular with tourists, bought as gifts and souvenirs. (Data - Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism).

However, the system of shopping service facilities is still fragmented, many shopping streets for goods and souvenirs are spontaneously formed, services and goods are not attractive, affecting urban management order, reducing the effectiveness of shopping services.

2.3. Current status of destination marketing activities for Hanoi tourism

For many developed countries, NTOs are often national tourism organizations of that country, for example: Japan National Tourism Organization, Korea Tourism Organization. In Vietnam, the organization responsible for overall management, promotion, and development of tourism is the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In Hanoi city alone, the unit directly responsible for tourism development activities in Hanoi is the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Although for many years, tourism has always been considered one of the key industries of the capital, however, the issue of developing and promoting tourism in the capital has only received real attention in the past few years (from the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi in 2010 to present).

To accurately assess the current status of destination marketing program implementation in Hanoi, it is necessary to assess each item of a complete destination marketing strategy development process.

2.3.1. Selecting target market and market positioning

In the 5th session of the 14th City People's Council, the City People's Council passed a resolution on the planning of tourism development in Hanoi until 2020, with a vision to 2030, which pointed out:

Orientation of Hanoi tourism market from 2012 - 2020:

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Chart of Number of 3-5 Star Hotel Rooms in Hanoi From 2000 - Quarter 1/2014

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