The Government Office announced on November 2 that Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has approved a pilot plan to welcome international visitors as proposed earlier by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Hanoi welcomed nearly 14.4 million visitors so far this year, up 9.5 percent over the same period last year, including more than 3.3 million foreign tourists, a year on year rise of 10.6 percent, reported the municipal Department of Tourism.
Close to 7.3 million foreign tourists visited Vietnam in the first five months of 2019, up 8.8 percent against the same period last year.
A policy extension will allow citizens of 46 countries to enter Vietnam for 30 days with e-visa until 2021.
A foreign tourist group called Keep Mui Ne Nice joined staff from local tourism facilities, organisations, and youngsters in Phan Thiet city in the south-central province of Binh Thuan to collect rubbish along Mui Ne beach on July 12.
The number of foreign visitors arriving in Vietnam in April was estimated at 1.3 million, raising the total figure for the first four months of 2018 to 5.5 million, up 29.5% over the same period last year.
Tourism managerial agencies and travel companies suggested measures to attract more foreign tourists to Vietnam at a meeting in Hanoi on August 3.
