Foreign arrivals to Vietnam in the first eight months of the year hit 2.5 million, a year-on-year increase of 10.5 percent, according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

In August, foreign visitors to Vietnam numbered 310,000, an 8-percent increase over last year's August.

The number of foreign visitors from Asia, Europe and the US surged between 11-50 percent with visitors from Thailand increasing by 50 percent; the Republic of Korea, 32 percent; Malaysia, 27 percent; Denmark, 26 percent; Japan and Russia, each up 23 percent.

As a result, room occupancy at hotels reached 80 percent, even 100 percent at four and five-star hotels in major cities like Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang.

The tourism sector is building plans to improve the quality service at hotels, ensure food safety and security for tourists to serve the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in Vietnam in November.
 

VNA