VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam welcomed some 5.3 million foreign visitors in the past 11 months, up 15.9 percent year-on-year, and met the country's tourism target, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO). 

Of those coming to the country, 4.5 million arrived by plane, up 20.8 percent over the previous year. However, the number of visitors traveling by sea and road decreased by 30 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively, to 32,000 and 833,000. 

China took the lead, with 1.2 million visitors selecting Vietnam as a holiday destination, up 49 percent. It was followed by the Republic of Korea, with 473,000 holidaymakers, up 5.1 percent. Travelers from Japan, the US, France, Cambodia, Australia and Malaysia also surged significantly. 

HCM City was one of the most attractive destinations for foreign tourists. The city received nearly 3.1 million foreign arrivals in the reviewed period, up 8.4 percent over the same period last year. 

Despite early success in reaching the annual tourism target, deputy director of the National Administration of Tourism (NAT)'s Travel Department Pham Le Thao is concerned that the tourism sector will face difficulties next year due to the continuing global economic downturn. 

She said that in December NAT will organise and take part in a series of events to promote Vietnamese tourism, including the World Travel Market Fair in the UK, a Vietnamese food programme in Australia and a tourism promotional campaign throughout the central ASEAN region. 

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan has asked NAT and related departments to work on drawing tourists toward priority markets, improving accommodations facilities and devising methods to manage transport. 

VNN/VNA/VOV