(CPV) – In the first six months this year, the number of foreign arrivals to Ho Chi Minh city (HCMC) reached more than 1.9 million, a year-on-year rise of 5 percent, according the city’s department of culture, sports and tourism.

Two world cultural heritage sites in the central province of Quang Nam, My Son sanctuary and Hoi An ancient town, will admit tourists free of charge during the Quang Nam Heritage Festival from June 22 to 26, according to the office of the festival’s organizing board.

Hanoi ranked the second cheapest city for travel, right after Bulgaria’s Sofia, while Norway’s Oslo is the most expensive city in the world, according to a survey recently released by travel website TripAdvisor.com.

Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An and Halong are four of the Top 25 Travellers’ Choice Asia Destinations recognized by the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor.

By the end of May, over 3,700 turns of foreign arrivals got VAT refund worth VND 12 billion, statistics show.

(CPV) - Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia) in Vietnam officially kicked off a series of special events and activities leading to Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 with the theme “Celebrating Malaysia Truly Asia”. The goal is to attract 28 million international tourists in 2014.

Over 100 representatives from the tourism sector met in central coastal Khanh Hoa province on June 9 in a seminar discussing how Vietnam can become a more attractive destination for foreign cruise tourists.

Tourism ministers from ASEAN member countries, who are in Myanmar to attend the 2013 World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia , have committed to implementing tourism standards for the region and a common regional visa to boost tourism growth by up to 20 percent.

A cable car from Sa Pa town in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai to Fansipan Mountain will be developed in an effort to lure more visitors to the cloudy town.

Saigon Tourist Travel Company has just announced the opening of seven new river tours that will take tourists around Ho Chi Minh city via canals and rivers.

The Government officially agreed with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s proposal of continuing visa waivers for single-entry visas from seven major tourism markets, said Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Nguyen Van Tuan.

The Hanoi Taxi Association has established a hotline to handle complaints about dishonest taxis drivers.

(CPV) - From this June, passengers have another option for travelling to Thailand, as VietJetAir is opening its new Hanoi – Bangkok route with 7 flights per week.

An Bang beach in Hoi An ancient town and Dai (Long) beach in Phu Quoc island have been listed in the world’s 100 best beaches by CNN.

Farmers from 21 provinces and cities are showcasing their special fruits at the Southern Fruit Festival 2013, which opened in Ho Chi Minh City on June 1.

The Ham Rong cultural tourist site will become an attractive tourist destination in central Thanh Hoa province in the near future.

On May 30, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), in association with the Vietnam Tourism Association and the managing board of the Environmentally and Socially Responsible Tourism (ESRT) Capacity Development Programme organised a meeting on Vietnam’s tourism promotion in 2013, in Hanoi.

Aiming to provide service for passengers during the 2013 summer holiday, from June 1 to August 31 the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines (VNA) will add 3,641 flights with more than 700,000 seats on 12 domestic and international routes.

The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi and Park Hyatt Saigon have been named among the 100 best international hotels on the Robb Report Magazine’s annual list.

Ho Chi Minh city is expected to welcome 4.1 million foreign guests in 2013 to post a year-on-year increase of 8 percent.