Socialist Republic of Vietnam

With the boom of foreign tourist arrivals in the first days of the year, Vietnam’s tourism sector is hoping to draw in five million foreign visitors in 2006, compared with 3.4 million last year.

Vietravel received 28 Japanese visitors who arrived at the Tan Son Nhat Airport at 2:45pm Jan. 1. An hour later, a Vietnam Airlines plane landed at the airport, bringing 122 other foreign tourists to Vietnam.

“This is my first visit to Vietnam and I was surprised by the warm welcome,” said 80-year-old Ito Chieko from Yokohama, Japan. “I will stay in HCMC for two days before flying to Ha Long – said to be the most beautiful bay in Vietnam.”

Sharon Ivany, who had been to Vietnam two years ago, returned this time with her five family members.

“Vietnam’s beautiful landscapes were so impressive that I persuaded my husband and children to come,” she said, adding that they would 10 days visiting many sites around the country.

A Vietravel official said the company welcomed 500 visitors from Japan and the Netherlands alone in the first week.

Saigontourist received 10 tourist delegations from France, Germany, Spain, Russia and Japan in the first two days of the year.

Vietnam had recently seen a sharp increase of tourist arrivals from Russia, said Hoang Huu Loc of Saigontourist.

Many Russian travel agencies had established relations with the company since it worked with a Russian filmmaking mission to carry out a program to publicize images of in Vietnam in Russia two years ago, he said.

“We currently receive nearly 900 Russian visitors a month, compared with around 100 before,” Loc said.

As a proof, Saigontourist welcomed a delegation of 180 Russian on a chartered plane landed at the Tan Son Nhat Airport at 2am on Jan. 2.

The company is scheduled to receive 4,500 foreign visitors in January, up 9 percent year-on-year.

Brighter prospect

The number of foreign tourist arrivals to Vietnam is expected to increase considerably following the country’s efforts in promoting tourism abroad.

US magazine Travel and Leisure recently selected Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi as one of the five best tourism cities in Asia.

Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa province on the central coast was accepted as the 29th member of the Club of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World.

Tripso, a famous travel web site, has recently chose Vietnam as one of the Top Five of Tourist Destinations in 2006, together with Las Vegas, Central America, Southern Caribbean and New York City.

Kykate, one of the members of Tripso’s forums, chimed in, “I’m voting for Vietnam. I’ve been there three times in the past 12 months, and enjoy it better with every trip. There are magnificent beaches, low-cost shopping, friendly people and a lot of little villages and towns to explore.”

Reported by Trung Binh – Translated by Thu Thuy
Story from Thanh Nien News
Published: 09 January, 2006, 21:10:30 (GMT+7)
Copyright Thanh Nien News