Hanoi’s Department of Tourism estimated that by the end of 2017, the capital city will have welcomed more than 23.8 million visitors for earnings of roughly 71 trillion VND (3.1 billion USD), an increase of 15 percent from the same period last year.

Foreign tourists visit One-pillar Pagoda, a well-known attraction in Hanoi

The number includes nearly 5 million foreign tourists from key markets such as China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, France, the US, Germany, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand and Canada.

The city hopes to earn about 72.5 trillion VND (3.2 billion USD) from nearly 25.5 million visitors in 2018, growth of 8 percent from this year, including 4.58 million foreigners and 20.91 million domestic travellers. It also hopes to have 80 above-3-star hotels and 600 hotels below 3-stars.

To this end, the department plans to continue enhancing cooperation with other cities and provinces to develop new tourism products, create tours linking popular attractions and other destinations both at home and overseas, and boost tourism promotion abroad.

It is also looking for investors in several key local projects, including the development of tourism services around West Lake and along Nhat Tan – Noi Bai route, the Ba Vi – Suoi Hai national resort complex and infrastructure development projects.-VNA