Vietnam postpones annual national tourism promotion over novel coronavirus

The now date of the ceremony has not been decided. The northern province of Ninh Binh had been chosen to host the event with the theme of "Hoa Lu – Thousand-year-old Capital."

More than 100 activities nationwide had been planned for the year under the latest edition of the National Tourism Year.

These included the Trang An festival at the Trang An Landscape Complex, the final round of Miss Capital Asean 2020, and an international conference on Xam singing, a traditional folk music form said to be in danger of being lost.

The annual tourism campaign has been held every year since 2003 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in tandem with a local administration.

Concerns of the 2019 nCoV outbreak had prompted the culture ministry last Tuesday to ask all provinces and cities to suspend festivals in epidemic-stricken localities and not organize tourism activities at historical relic sites and scenic hotspots.

However, two days later, the ministry announced tourism activities at historical relic sites and scenic hotspots can resume as normal, with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc stating such prohibitions were not called for.

Vietnam has confirmed 14 cases of nCoV infection, with nine in Vinh Phuc, three in HCMC and one each in Khanh Hoa and Thanh Hoa. Six patients have been discharged so far.

The global death toll has reached 910, with 908 dying in mainland China, and one each in the Philippines and Hong Kong.