Ho Chi Minh City sees slight increase in foreign visitors in first half

Foreign visitors take a cyclo tour in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Vietnam News AgencyForeign visitors take a cyclo tour in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Ho Chi Minh City welcomed more than 2.1 million international arrivals in the first six months of this year, a 3 percent year-on-year increase.

This figure is encouraging as the total number of foreigners visiting Vietnam fell by 11 percent to 3.8 million during the same period, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism told a recent meeting.

This drop was attributed to the decrease in the number of tourists from traditional markets such as China and Russia, the ministry said.

Most of visitors to Ho Chi Minh City came from the US, Japan, Korea, and ASEAN countries, the city government's website said, adding that its tourism sector earned roughly VND47.3 trillion (US$2.18 billion) in the first half of this year, up 7 percent from the same period last year.

A source said the city tourism department is all set to ask the tourism ministry to extend the waiver period for tourists from the UK, France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, allowing them to stay for 30 days without a visa.

Thanh Nien News