Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, Dec. 3 (VNA) -- Many countries are warning against travelling to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, but Viet Nam is one of the few places in Southeast Asia that is considered safe.

The Agence France Presse (AFP) on Dec. 3 quoted Alfonso Romero, general manager of Ha Noi's Melia Hotel, as saying in an article entitled "Viet Nam's tourist industry cashing in on regional terror fears".

The source said "the deadly bomb attacks in Bali may have cast a shadow over many of Southeast Asia's traditional tourist hotspots, but Viet Nam is cashing in on its reputation as an oasis of calm in a troubled region."

Tour operators across the country are reporting increased bookings, and "no vacancy" signs are being hoisted at many top hotels in Ha Noi and in the southern business capital of Ho Chi Minh City.

"Compared to last year, the number of guests has increased by 25 percent in the months of October and November," said Romero.

Like many hoteliers, he attributes the rise to the October 12 blasts on the Indonesian island of Bali, which killed more than 190 people and decimated the tourist industry at one of the region's most popular get-away destinations.

The Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) estimates that 2.65 million tourists will have visited the country by the end of the year, 150,000 more than targeted.

Le Quang Hau, sales director at the Sofitel Metropole Hotel, one of Ha Noi's oldest and grandest institutions, said better tourist infrastructure and improved investment conditions were also having an impact on numbers.

"The operating environment for both the tourism and corporate market has improved dramatically," he said.

"We have just closed the books for November and the results are fantastic. We had a 92 percent occupancy rate compared to 72 percent in November 2001. We haven't experienced such figures since May 1996."

However, he acknowledged the most significant reason for the bursting occupancy rates was "the perception that Viet Nam is politically stable".

The country was ranked by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) in late October as the safest Asia-Pacific country for business.

"Moreover, Viet Nam's security apparatus is so tight that it is very unlikely any foreign terrorists would consider it worthwhile even to try to cause an incident there."

Lionel Moinard, general manager of the Novotel Garden Plaza Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City, said he anticipated the occupancy boom to continue as a result of Viet Nam's immunity from regional woes and its emerging reputation as a "new tourist destination".

Pham Tu, deputy head of VNAT, said that while Viet Nam had benefited from regional terrorist threats, it had also played a pro-active role in boosting tourist arrivals.

"The number of tourists coming to Viet Nam is increasing more and more each year because we have taken concrete measures to improve the tourist infrastructure.

"We have also undertaken a concerted marketing campaign overseas in Europe, North Asia and Australia," he said.
Over 2.17 million tourists visited Viet Nam in the first 10 months of the year, an 11.3 percent increase over the same period in 2001.