Previously, according to the Government’s Decree No. 71/2015/ND-CP dated September 3, 2015, international travellers in Vietnam were required to hold a permit to enter such border areas as Co To island. The provincial Police Department, on July 15, announced that the Co To island district is a local tourism site in accordance with Decision No. 1288/QD-UBND made by the provincial People’s Committee. 

The move is expected to bring more foreign tourists to the island. 

According to the province, the island has greeted about 15,000 visitors in the first six months of this year. Most of them are domestic tourists. 

In 2016, the district targets to welcome about 250,000 tourists.