The ministry’s Chief of the International Cooperation Agency, Nguyen Van Tinh, said that the government approved VND 25 billion (US $1.47 million) for tourism promotion in 2009. The funding for advertising on the BBC is US $204,000, with 320 times of 30 seconds each.

The advertising clip will be broadcasted within eight weeks in Asia-Pacific, six weeks in Europe, and six weeks in the US.

Tinh said that Vietnam’s tourism will also be broadcast on taxis in the UK, through the image of a Vietnamese girl who wears ao dai sitting on Ha Long Bay.

VietNamNet/TP