International visitors to Vietnam in June estimated 279,150 arrivals. Totally, international visitors in the first half reached 1,893,605 arrivals, 19.1% lower than those in the same period of year 2008.

The Vietnam Railway Corporation said that Vietnam worked with Nanning (China) to propose a 50 percent decrease in fares on the Hanoi – Nanning international passenger train. The proposal was given in a recent survey at Dong Dang Station (Vietnam) and Ping Xiang Station (China).

Defying the gloomy portrait of travel painted by the global economic downturn and the A/H1N1 flu pandemic, the tourism industry has launched a series of promotional campaigns to recover foreign markets. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is pushing ahead with its programme of discount tours named “Impressive Vietnam”.

As many as 31 troupes of performers and artists from 24 ethnic minority groups in Phu Yen flocked to a festival of culture, sports and tourism on June 30 to prepare for the National Tourism Year that the central province will host in 2011.

Tourism officials of Vietnam and Japan met at a seminar in Hanoi on June 29 to look for ways to attract Japanese students to Vietnam for both study and leisure. Representatives from the Vietnam National Administration ofTourism, Vietnam Airlines and provincial tourism departments discussed with officials of the Japanese Embassy and the Japan Travel Association promotion plans and pricing tickets to tap into this potential market section.

The Sea Tourism Environment Protection Week opened in the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau on Sunday with a call for residents to get directly involved in environmental clean-up and conservation work.

Miss World Pageant’s Chairman David Z. Marmel and TV director Jeffrey Andosky have been in HCM City to shoot a nine-minute clip advertising Vietnam. This clip will be broadcast on Star World channel during the live-broadcast of Mrs. World 2009 pageant in the southern city of Vung Tau, Vietnam on November 22.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has asked the Prime Minister for permission to prepare a file to be submitted to UNESCO to gain recognition for the traditional Xoan singing of Phu Tho province as a part of the world’s cultural heritage that needs urgent protection.