Winterless Southeast Asian Tourists Flock to Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival

Over 10,000 Visitors from Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, and More Since the Opening on the 11th
Influential Figures from Various Countries Recommend the Festival by Showcasing Experiences and Local Cuisine
Governor Choi Moon-soon: "I Hope They Cherish Their Joyful Winter Memories and Return Next Year"

Foreign tourists continue to flock to the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival, which has established itself as a world-renowned winter festival. Especially for tourists from Southeast Asia, where winter does not occur, the festival offers a unique experience and memorable moments, making it a "must-visit festival" and attracting large group tours.

Over the first weekend since its opening on the 11th, the '2025 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival' attracted more than 10,000 foreign tourists from around the world, including Southeast Asian countries without winter such as Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. The photo shows Southeast Asian tourists enjoying the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival. Photo by Hwacheon County Office

According to Hwacheon County, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Choi Moon-soon), more than 10,000 foreign tourists visited the '2025 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival' during the first weekend since its opening on the 11th. Most of the foreign tourists came from Southeast Asian countries without winter, such as Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Major travel agencies from various Southeast Asian countries, which have established close cooperative relationships with Hwacheon County, send buses carrying group tourists to the festival site every day. These tourists board buses at 9 a.m. from Seoul and other locations and arrive in Hwacheon around 11 a.m. daily to fully enjoy the festival.

Many of them, stepping on the ice for the first time, took out their smartphones on the 13th to capture their very first experience when a brief heavy snowfall occurred.

On the 11th, Southeast Asian tourists participating in the 2025 Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival enjoyed the festival by grilling and eating Sancheoneo trout they caught with their bare hands and fishing rods. Photo by Hwacheon County Office

Some Muslim tourists also visited the prayer room set up by Hwacheon County at the festival site to perform their religious rituals.

Earlier, on the 12th, Vietnam’s Hanoi National TV filmed an entertainment program at the festival site featuring the enjoyment of the Sancheoneo Festival and tasting local foods, attracting attention.

The Vietnamese influencers who appeared challenged themselves not only with ice fishing but also with bare-hand catching, drawing the attention of those around them. They introduced the festival’s atmosphere, main programs, and delicious food to viewers in their home country and recommended visiting Hwacheon.

Choi Moon-soon, Governor of Hwacheon County, said, “Many children and adults from Southeast Asia have never seen snow, so this will be a unique experience for them,” adding, “I hope they will cherish their joyful winter memories in Hwacheon, Gangwon Province, and return next year.”