A ceremony was held in Hanoi on the evening of Oct. 10 to celebrate the 999th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and announce the Year of National Tourism 2010.

Present at the event, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, were Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Pham Quang Nghi and Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao.

Close to 1,000 artists, actors and actresses entertained local audiences with special art performances that feature the most typical cultural characters of Thang Long-Hanoi and promote the city’s friendly and attractive images to visitors.

In connection with celebrations of the capital’s 1,000th founding anniversary, the Year of National Tourism 2010 will include nine major programmes and almost 30 activities combining tourism with culture and sports.

This will be a chance for the city’s tourism industry to improve the quality of its services, facilities and human resources, in a bid to become an attractive tourist destination in the region and the world at large. (VNA)