International arrivals in Vietnam increase 23 percent in first half
HANOI - Vietnam's tourism industry enjoyed a dynamic first half with international arrivals growing by 23 percent since January against the same period in 2004, the tourism authority said.
Vietnam welcomed around 1.7 million people for the six months to June, mostly from China, the United States, South Korea, Japan and France, an official from the Vietnam National Tourism Administration told AFP.
The country is targetting 3.2 million visitors this year against 2.9 million in 2004.
"We have always tried our best to attract more visitors as tourism potential in Vietnam is competitive to other regional countries," he said.
Last year, the communist country enjoyed an increase of 21 percent of international arrivals despite the bird flu epidemic.
The government has also negotiated visa-waiver agreements with Japan and South Korea, as well as fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nation members. Vietnam has also partly benefitted from the December tsunamis that hit several major destinations in the region.
Agence France Presse - July 04, 2005.
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