The sun warmed Southeastern Asian nation of Vietnam witnessed a boom in the number of holidaymakers, particularly foreign ones, to various places of interest in the country in the first days of the year 2007, signaling a good future for the local hospitality.
About 6,500 foreign tourists have booked tours to Ho Chi Minh City alone on the first day of the New Year, and more than 3,090 visitors arrived at Tan Son Nhat Airport by 3:30 pm including 1,613 foreign visitors mainly from Europe and the US.
Judging by this positive sign, Ho Chi Minh City is forecast to welcome 2.7 million visitors in 2007, a year-on-year rise of 15 per cent, Tourism Department deputy director La Quoc Khanh said.
On the same day, the Costa Marina ship of the Costa Crociere - a leading European travel company - anchored at the Tien Sa port in the central city of Danang with 1,200 tourists on board. The holidaymakers, mainly from Italy, will call at various scenic places, including the ancient town of Hoi An, the former imperial city of Hue and the My Son Sanctuary in central Quang Nam province.
The first day of the new year also saw a rapid increase in the number of visitors to various resorts in the Mekong Delta region, of which Kien Giang province, home to superb caves, capes and stunning beaches, has become the most attractive destination in the region to both locals and foreigners, especially those from France and Germany.
Phu Quoc Island in particular, which offers vacationers various leisure activities like fishing, swimming and scuba diving, enjoyed remarkable growth in the number of tourists from European and Asian countries. Most hotels on the island are currently full to capacity.
Thousands of tourists, mainly from Japan and South Korea, also flocked to Thoi Son isle in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang to join eco-tourism tours and attend time-honored musical performances by the locals.
Other localities also witnessed a high flow of visitors in the day, an official from the National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) said, adding that it is good news for the tourism sector and that the country will finish the target of welcoming 4.2 million foreign arrivals in 2007, 16 per cent higher than that of the last year.
Vietnam targets tourism revenue of US$2.5 billion this year.
To date, Vietnam has had five world natural and cultural heritage sites recognized by UNESCO, including the complex of Hue monuments, Hoi An ancient town, the My Son sanctuary, Ha Long bay, and the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. It also boasts other world intangible heritages, namely the Tay Nguyen gong culture in addition to Hue royal music.
Currently, tourism, which contributes 8 per cent to the country’s GDP is considered one of the key economic sectors of Vietnam. (Local sources)
Vietnamese
