National Tourism Year 2010 will kickoff starting next month with a series of commemorations of the 999thanniversary of the capital Thang Long-Hanoi, the Vietnam NationalTourism Administration (VNTA) said.

The tourist event, the largest of its kind in Vietnam in 2010, will beheld throughout the year, mainly in Hanoi , VNTA Director GeneralNguyen Van Tuan told a press conference in Hanoi on Sept. 25.

Themed “Thang Long-Hanoi, Thousand-year convergence”, the event onceagain emphasised that the capital city remains an attractive tourismdestination in the region and the world, he added.

National Tourism Year 2010 in Hanoi is scheduled to include thelaunching of the “Hanoians welcoming visitors” and “Green tourism year”programmes, and the Thang Long-Hanoi international tourism and cuisinefestivals.

Also, Hanoi will work together with other domestic and foreign citiesand provinces to organise more than 30 cultural and recreationaltourist activities, such as a flower street festival, an exhibition oftraditional and modern Bat Trang pottery, a kite-flying festival,participation in the Jata fair in Japan and the Travex fair in Brunei,and promotion of Vietnam as a tourist destination in China’sBeijing-Shanghai-Guangzhou area.

A ceremony to launch the National Tourism Year 2010 will be held on October 10 in Hanoi./.