A surge in the number of international tourist arrivals in Vietnam has helped the tourism sector record revenues of US$21 billion in the year to October, said Ngo Hoai Chung, deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Delegates cut the ribbon to inaugurate the new Saigon-Vinh Long Hotel 

At the inauguration ceremony of the Saigon-Vinh Long Hotel in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long on November 10, Chung said Vietnam’s tourism sector targeted a growth rate of over 20% this year, with the number of foreign tourists expected to reach 15 million.

It is noteworthy that nearly 13 million international visitors came to Vietnam in the January-October period, up 22.4% year-on-year.

Accommodation services reported the most positive performance during the period, said Chung.

The country currently has 26,800 hotels with 532,000 available rooms, including 144 five-star hotels and 283 four-star hotels, offering a total of 85,000 rooms.

The inauguration of the Saigon-Vinh Long Hotel is part of plans for Vinh Long Province to prioritize the tourism sector, as the hotel will help attract more tourists to the province, Chung added.

According to Vuong Anh Tuan, deputy general director of Saigontourist, Saigon-Vinh Long Hotel is the company’s 50th four- to five-star hotel in the country, and the fourth one in the Mekong Delta, including the Saigon-Phu Quoc, Saigon-Rach Gia and Saigon-Can Tho hotels.

He expected Saigon-Vinh Long Hotel to help Saigontourist earn revenues of more than VND21.2 trillion (US$910.6 million) and profits of VND5.02 trillion, contributing VND3.7 trillion to the State budget this year.

Saigon-Vinh Long is the first four-star hotel in Vinh Long Province, Tuan added.

The hotel offers 84 rooms, a restaurant which can serve 1,000 customers and other facilities.

SGT