VietNamNet- The number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in the past seven months reached more than 1.65mil, up 35% year on year.

Taking the lead is China with 458,500 visitors to Vietnam, up 71% compared to the same period of 2003; followed by the US – 168,260, up 34.3%; Taiwan 144,000, 48.6%; Japan 136,850, 19.7%; and the Republic of Korea 114,000, 85.5%.

The growth of tourism activities is a result of stable social, politic and economic environment and promotional efforts of the tourism sector.

The sector has launched a variety of programmes and new tours including the Dien Bien Tourism Year, the Heritage Road of the Central Region, and Festival Hue as the outstanding events. The tourism sector has also improved its advertising and promotion activities as well as elevating service quality.

In addition, related sectors have supported tourism activities. The nation’s flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines has increased flight frequencies and opened new routes to tourist sites, opening Vietnam’s potential tourism markets. Exemption visas offered to Japanese and Korean citizens also contributed to increased tourist numbers.

The number of Vietnamese people taking overseas tours is also on the rise.

Good for vietnam economy

gonna be a lot more now that there's gonna be daily trips to hanoi from Chicago in october. it's a new cheez whiz thang