Vietnam welcomed more than 3.2 million foreign visitors in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 29 percent year-on-year.

International tourists in Ho Chi Minh City

The figures were released at a press conference held by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on April 12 in Hanoi to discuss the ministry’s activities in Q1 and tasks in Q2.

According to the ministry, domestic tourists reached 22.2 million while total earnings from tourism approximated 132 trillion VND (about 5.8 billion USD) in the first three – month period.

In Q1, the ministry proposed to the Prime Minister a list of 2017 national and special national relic sites and agreed to prepare documents to apply for World Heritage status for Ha Long Bay – Cat Ba Archipelago.

Plans for the national sports event in 2018 and hosting the 31st Southeast Asian Games in 2021 were drawn up, it said.

Other issues such as zero VND tours and kayaking on Ha Long Bay were also discussed during the conference.

VNA