Vietnam visitors up by 10%

Over 2.6 million tourists have visited Vietnam this year, new figures have revealed.

The General Statistics Office announced that there has been a 10.6 per cent increase on last year's figures, meaning the country is well on its way to reaching its target of five million international visitors a year.

Tran Chien Thang, Vietnam's deputy minister of culture, sports and tourism, told VNA that to meet the target, "the tourism sector will simplify international travel business procedures and strengthen land tourism cooperation with its neighbours, Laos and Cambodia."

Next year's ASEAN Tourism Forum is being held in the country which will also go some way to boosting visitor numbers, the newspaper added.

It will be the first time Vietnam has been the host of such a large-scale event, Mr Thang said, and there is expected to be around 1,500 international delegates travelling to the country as a result.

Last year's forum was held in Bangkok, Thailand and reportedly attracted over 60 million visitors to the country.

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