Ha Noi, July 8 (VNA) - Viet Nam will receive between 2.7-2.8 million international tourists this year, Pham Tu, Vice Director of the Viet Nam Tourism Administration, affirmed during his meeting with the press in Ha Noi on Thursday to mark the 44th founding anniversary of the tourism sector.

To achieve the target, the hospitality industry should expand tourist promotion activities, improve support facilities, accommodation, and ensure safety and sanitary conditions for tourists, Tu said.

In the first six months of this year, the tourist sector catered for 1.392 million foreign visitors and 6.6 million local visitors, rises of 30 percent and 10 percent, respectively, over the same period last year. It made revenue of 13.2 trillion VND, an increase of 30.5 percent against the corresponding period last year.

Although the number of foreign tourists coming to Viet Nam experienced a slight decrease in February, March and April due the bird flu epidemic, it made a recovery in June.

Foreign visitors travelling to Viet Nam by air grew 35.5 percent, by land, 22.4 percent and by sea, 29.5 percent.

Chinese tourists accounted for 31 percent of the total foreign visitors in the period, followed by those coming from northeast Asia, 28 percent.

Room occupancy rates at major tourism centres reached between 70-80 percent. Viet Nam has about 3,810 hotels and hostels with more than 85,380 rooms, including 470 hotels of one to five stars with 28,520 rooms. .-Enditem

I hope that when the Olympics come to China, they will stop on the way to Vietnam or go to Vietnam to visit the country afterwards as well. Vietnam should buy ads for the Beijing 2008 Olympics on TV, to help attract people to visit Vietnam as well. Vietnam and China are right next to each other, it wouldn't hurt to put some ads there.

I believe South Korea and Japan would probably rub off of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing much more than Vietnam. SK and Japan are much closer to Beijing than Vietnam is, not to mention better-known too.


Does that include Chinese tourists from Taiwan and Hong Kong or strictly mainland China?

31% of 2.8 million would be about 868,000. That's a lot of Chinese tourists in Vietnam considering how little advertisement Vietnam Tourism has in mainland China comparing to South Korea, Japan, and Australia.

That's why I said Vietnam should put ads on the Olympics.

Yes, I think the BeiJing Olympics will benefit the whole region including VN in terms of tourism especially if they have it in the winter ... ----

Are there any slogans or ad campaigns for Vietnam tourism like Taiwan's or Malaysia's?

Oh I know more people will probably go to Japan or South Korea, I'm saying to boost Vietnam's tourism not to beat the tourism to those other countries.

No there aren't any slogans I'm aware of, but Vietnam actually does have one of the highest tourism booms, post 9/11, due to fear of terrorism in "Western depedant countries where terrorist might target" while Vietnam is known as being terrorist free and is named one of the most safest destination according to the Hong Kong risk consultancy.

I'm sure by 2008, Vietnam will be much more attractive a lot of it's infrastructure that is currently in development will be done by then.

I think thats all Chinese.. Vietnam see's these territories as one ... one China policy....

2.8 million is the forcast foreign tourist. Right now the foreign tourist is 1.392 million in 6 months and 35% of that is 494,160 are from China. That seems right considering both countries are right next to each other and I'm guessing a lot of those tourist are Vietnamese who live in China.

Hong Kong is going to gain so much from 2008 Olympics.

Annually, Hong Kong gets 22 million Tourist. 3 times the HK Population.!

It's been forecasted that by 2010 there will be 6 million international tourists bringing in revenue of $2.5 billion.

Do that many people really visit Hong Kong yearly?
That is a lot of people but I think France is in the lead with like 60 million tourists yearly

HeHe, thats not too hard to believe, as I remember back in the eight grade my class mates were already talking about visiting Paris.. imagine kids dreaming about Paris ?

Actually the figure for France is around 70 million.

lol That doesn't surprise me although I've always thought that France is overrated...

France is definitely overrated. So is Hong Kong. It's just a tiny island with glossy buildings for God's sake.

Obviously those places must be beautifull other wise those millions of people wouldn't go there.. I heard HK gets all the good stuff (electronics) before it comes to the west.. My friend went back there and came back with a load of goods , for cheap too..

Hong Kong:
Cheap but good fashion!!!

Shopping and eating can take weeks