News

Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City has seen a stark rise in the number of foreign visitors.

City tourism officials have released statistics which show that in the first nine months of 2006 there were 18% more tourists than the year before.

In total, 1.7m international tourists made the trip to Vietnam's largest city, reports Thanh Nien News.

September saw the arrival of 200,000 visitors which signalled a rise of 10% compared to August.

As well as there being more tourists in the city, those who do visit are spending more, with the majority of the money going on shopping.

The figures have surprised tourism authorities as Ho Chi Minh City usually sees the majority of its tourists during October.

There is also optimism among many that these impressive figures will be improved upon after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November which will look at ways to boost tourism.

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