About 3 million
domestic and foreign visitors flocked to Hanoi in 2010, according to the city’s
Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

More than 1.5 million tourists visited Van
Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam, the first university in Vietnam and more than 1 million
people visited Ngoc Son temple, Hoan Kiem Lake.

Other revolutionary relics attracted many other
visitors who wanted to gain a better understanding of the capital’s history,
such as the Hoa Lo Prison which hosted 132,000 visitors.

The house at 48 Hang Ngang Street in Hoan Kiem
precinct where President Ho Chi Minh wrote the Declaration of Independence also
received about 9,000 visitors, Van Phuc-Ha Dong about 8,000 and the Hanoi Museum
about 50,000 guests.

Turnover from visitation to relics from Van
Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam, Ngoc Son Temple and Hoa Lo Prison reached about VND25 billion
in 2010.

Hanoi currently possess more than 5,000 relics.
It has upgraded 249 relics at a cost of more than VND890 billion.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) recognised Hanoi’s docorate steles in Van
Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) as a World Documentation Heritage, the
Thang Long Royal Citadel as a World Cultural Heritage stite, and the Giong
Festival in Phu Dong and Soc Temples as the World Intangible Heritage.

*
Int’l
visitors to HCM City in January up 10%

The number of
foreign visitors to Ho Chi Minh City in January, 2011 is estimated to reach
310,000, 10 percent higher than the same period in 2010, announced HCM City’s
Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Tourists arriving by air were estimated at
240,000 arrivals, 12 percent more than 2010, including 150,000 Vietnamese
overseas while those reaching by other routes reached 70,000, 6 percent more
than the previous year.

During the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, it is
expected that there will be 40,000 Vietnamese tourists departing from HCM City
to visit foreign countries, showing a year-on-year increase of 20 percent,
according to the HCM City’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Singapore, Malaysia, China, Thailand and Cambodia
are favourite destinations for Vietnamese tourists. Also, for the occasion,
visitors taking part in domestic tourism are estimated to rise by 20 percent
compared to 2010.

In the first month of 2011, tourism turnover is
planned to reach VND3,560 billion, 15 percent more than the same period in 2010.
Of this figure, turnover sourced from hotel and restaurant service will make
VND2,492 billion, 13 percent more than 2010, and from travel VND1,068 billion,
17 percent more than 2010.

VietNamNet/VOV