Tourism nowadays has become an important economic sector, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan said in Hanoi on Dec. 20, 2005

"The tourist industry has helped foreign friends understand more about the Vietnamese land and people, as well as its history and culture, contributing to improving Vietnam's position in the international arena," Deputy PM Vu Khoan, who is also Director of the National Steering Committee for Tourism, said during a ceremony held by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) in celebration of its award, the Ho Chi Minh Order, the second highest distinction of the Vietnamese State after the Gold Star Order.

VNAT Chairwoman Vo Thi Thang said during the ceremony that over the past 45 years (July 9, 1960-2005), the tourist industry has created breakthroughs in both quality and quantity. "It has posted high growths, despite the financial crisis in Asia, and natural disasters and epidemics on a global scale," she noted.

In particular, between 1990 and now, the industry has continually seen an average growth of more than 20 percent in the number of tourists, she said, adding that the number of foreign visitors is expected to increase to 3.43 million this year from 250,000 in 1990.

Ms Thang also said that Vietnam can serve a dozen million foreign and domestic tourists a year and organise many major international conferences. Many tourist resorts, golf courses, parks and entertainment projects have been put into operation.

In international cooperation, the VNAT has signed 26 bilateral cooperation agreements and 10 multilateral ones with other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It has boosted cooperation with countries in the Great Mekong sub region, the East-West Corridor Cooperation, APEC, ASEM, and international tourism organisations. It has set up relations with 1,000 travel agencies in 60 countries and territories. Thirteen Vietnamese travel agencies have opened their representative offices in 12 countries.

Luxembourg, Japan, Spain, the Netherlands, Cuba, the French-speaking Belgian community, the EU, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have pledged a total of 40 million USD as non-refundable aid in personnel training and technical assistance to Vietnam's tourism sector.

The country has so far licensed 239 foreign-invested projects in tourism with a combined capital of 6.1 billion USD, not including investment projects in building offices and apartments for lease. The tourism sector has invested abroad, mainly in opening restaurants in neighbouring countries, and Japan, Germany and the US.

(Source: VNA)