Hanoi goes global: CNN broadcasts the best of Vietnam's capital

• CNN lists Hanoi’s flower market among best places to celebrate Lunar New Year
• Hanoi spends $2 million on CNN ads to promote tourism, investment

Hanoi and all its wonders are being broadcast on TV screens all over the world starting this week.

American television network CNN started airing two commercials featuring the best of the ancient capital on Monday as part of a $2 million tourism deal with the city.

In “Hanoi – Heart of Vietnam” and “Hanoi – Cradle of Heritage”, Australian travel writer Phoebe Lee visited the city’s most popular icons – the red The Huc Bridge across Hoan Kiem Lake, Saint Joseph's Cathedral, the Temple of Literature, which was Vietnam’s first university, the Perfume Pagoda and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

She was also seen enjoying a cyclo tour, a motorbike ride and a chat with a street vendor.

 

 

Hanoi goes global: CNN broadcasts the best of Vietnam's capital

Hanoi: Heart of Vietnam

“The locals are the most lovely people,” Lee said in her travel blog Little Grey Box, describing how she experienced no hassling, touching and yelling like in Bali or Thailand.

Hanoi is an affordable city, a great place for people to immerse themselves in, and a great place for food, said Lee, who is a vegetarian.

Hanoi received more than four million foreign visitors in 2016, up 23 percent from the previous year.

Lee recommended that the best time to visit Hanoi is January, which is when she visited the city for a second time.

“The temperatures are perfect. Lovely cool evenings mean you can sit outside at restaurants in the evening and stroll around during the day without breaking a sweat,” she said.

 

 

Hanoi goes global: CNN broadcasts the best of Vietnam's capital

Hanoi: Cradle of Heritage

Lee also warned visitors to watch out for traffic, as Hanoi is one of the most cramped cities she has ever been to.

“Hanoi is a buzzing city,” she said in the blog, telling people to be confident to successfully cross the street “Just start walking in a calm, set pace and don’t stop. You’ll be fine.”

The 30-second videos, courtesy of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, are now being aired across Asia-Pacific, South Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Related news:

> CNN lists Hanoi’s flower market among best places to celebrate Lunar New Year

> Hanoi spends $2 million on CNN ads to promote tourism, investment