Iran's Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ali-Asghar Shalbafian speaks at the first Tourism Roadshow-Southeast Asia in Hanoi (Photo credit: Iranian Embassy to Vietnam)

Bao Tram: Thank you, Deputy Minister Shalbafian, for granting VOV this interview. How many Iranian tourists are coming to Vietnam and vice versa?

Mr. Shalbafian: Last year we received 6.4 million tourists, and this year we are seeing a 30% increase compared to last year. Meanwhile, 12 million Iranians went abroad as tourists. Iran is a very good market for Vietnam travel agents to attract. Unfortunately, only 3,000 Iranians went to Vietnam, so this market has room for growth. Only 1,000 Vietnamese came to Iran.  To encourage Vietnamese to come to Iran, we have unilaterally waived visas for Vietnamese and we’re working on arranging direct flights from Vietnam to Iran.

Bao Tram: What, in your opinion, would be the best areas of tourism for the two countries to cooperate in?

Mr. Shalbafian: The tourism attractions of Iran are diverse – we have cultural attractions, natural attractions, and we have four seasons in our country which you can clearly feel. It would be great for Vietnamese to experience the 4 seasons. In Vietnam the seasons are not that different. We have great natural beauty. We have a great potential for medical tourism. Our cuisine and handicrafts are additional attractions. Iranian hospitality is another major tourism potential. Everyone who comes to Iran feels this hospitality and is motivated to revisit.

Bao Tram: Apart from its 15-day tourist visa for Vietnamese citizens, which other preferential policies does Iran have to attract Vietnamese tourists?

Mr. Shalbafian: We are going to upgrade our tourism cooperation MoU with Vietnam. We're working to arrange direct flights between Vietnam and Iran with the help of the Vietnamese government. One problem is that many Vietnamese are not aware of Iran’s tourist attractions and the realities of Iran. Iran has paved the way for the Vietnamese market to acquire accurate information about Iran’s tourist attractions and realities and the visa waver program. We’ve clearly demonstrated our readiness to host Vietnam tourists.

Rohi Sajjadi, Representative of Fotros travel agency in Southeast Asia (L) discusses with Vietnamese business representatives at the tourism roadshow 2024. (Photo credit: Iranian Embassy to Vietnam)

Bao Tram: Early this month, Iran held the first Tourism Roadshow – Southeast Asia 2024 plus the Iran-Vietnam Tourism Conference in Hanoi to offer new opportunities for the two countries’ tourism sectors to work together. What outcomes does Iran expect from these events?

Mr. Shalbafian: Our main purpose is to allow Iranian businesses and Vietnam businesses to get acquainted with each other and to acquire accurate information. We plan to continue this roadshow in other Vietnamese and Iranian cities. We also plan to create sister cities – for example, HCMC and Isfahan – so people in the two countries can get acquainted with each other’s tourism potential. Through the conference, we hope an accurate image of Iran will be conveyed to Vietnamese travel businesses so they can introduce their Vietnamese customers to Iran.

Bao Tram: Thank you, Mr. Ali-Asghar Shalbafian, Deputy Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, for sharing your time with VOV.