1.3 million foreign tourists flocked to Vietnam in the first quarter of 2008, an on year increase of 16 percent, with increasing numbers of tourists by road and sea.
 From the beginning of the year, a great number of tourists from China, the US, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Australia came to Vietnam and the country is becoming a more attractive destination for high income tourists.

In the first quarter, an estimated 217,000 Chinese tourists visited Vietnam, an increase of 60 percent over the same period last year, raising the number of tourists traveling by road to 65.8 percent.

From the end of 2007 to now, cruise ships continued docking in Vietnam, such as Super Star Libra, Queen Victoria and Costa Allegra, carrying a large number of tourists. In the first quarter of 2008, Saigontourist picked up nearly 18,000 foreign tourists by sea with routes to Ha Long Bay, Hanoi, Hue, Danang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Saigon, Cu Chi and My Tho. They are mainly from China, the UK, Italy, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany and Austria.
 

(Source: CPV)