In a two-day meeting with leaders of the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang, the Cambodian Tourism investigation corps, led by Mr. Thong Khon, Tourism Ministry Secretary of Cambodia, showed their interest in the province’s scenic beauty, infrastructure and tourism services, especially marine eco-tourism and the provincial mysterious caves.

Phu Quoc Island is aggressively seeking foreign and domestic development, said Bui Ngoc Suong, chairman of the Kien Giang provincial People's Committee. "Phu Quoc will become a high-quality tourism centre and a trade and services hub for Vietnam and the region," said Suong.

Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Huu Tin assured foreign travel businesses of all the favourable conditions when they do business in the city.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has recently made a survey of tourism in three provinces of Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Bac Kan with the participation of 25 businesses and six tourism management offices.

A tour of five Central Highland provinces programme will be launched by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) to attract a large number of international and domestic tourists.

Readers of the Travel and Leisure magazine of the United States have voted Hanoi as the sixth city among the 10 most attractive cities in Asia. Last year, Hanoi ranked fifth in the list.

The increasing number of tourists who travel to Vietnam for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) is causing a new development trend for the nation's tourism sector to emerge, said economic experts.

International visitors to Vietnam in July estimated 303,000 arrivals. Totally, international visitors in 7 months of year 2006 reached 2,149,513 arrivals, 7.0% higher than those in the same period of year 2005.

Tourist sites specified in Vietnam's Tourism Development Strategy for the 2006-2010 period will receive infrastructure investment assistance from the State Budget.