Vietnam strives to lure more Chinese tourists

Vietnam is actively promoting its major beauty spots in Chinese cities and cooperating with local authorities to handle poorly-performing travel agencies, its tourism watchdog said on Thursday.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and many Vietnamese firms are implementing promotion campaigns in four Chinese cities of Nanning, Nanjing, Fuzhou and Hefei from May 11-20.

The administration is also cooperating with Vietnamese localities nationwide, which receive large numbers of Chinese visitors, including Hanoi, Ha Long and Ninh Binh in the northern region, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue and Nha Trang in the central region, and Ho Chi Minh City and Kien Giang in the southern region, to discipline travel agencies which offer tour packages at low prices, but then force customers to buy products during their trips at exorbitant prices.

With such moves, Vietnam hopes to receive 4 million Chinese visitors this year, 1.3 million higher than last year.

The influx of Chinese visitors to Vietnam has been mainly attributed to beautiful landscapes, more diversified tourism services, rich cultural heritage dissimilar to China's, better infrastructure, and more direct flights between the two countries.

Vietnam hosted roughly 4.3 million international arrivals in the first four months of this year, witnessing a year-on-year rise of 30.3 percent, according to its General Statistics Office. Specifically, the country welcomed nearly 1.3 million Chinese visitors, up 61.1 percent.

Last year, Vietnam received over 10 million foreign visitors, including 2.7 million Chinese ones, posting respective increases of 26 percent and 51.4 percent. Endit