Ho Chi Minh City welcomed 840,000 international arrivals in the first quarter of the year, representing a year-on-year increase of 20 percent.

Most foreign visitors are from the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Taiwan, Canada, China, France, Singapore and Malaysia.

Out-bound tours attracted some 200,000 tourists from HCM City and neighbouring provinces, representing an increase of 28 percent over the same period last year. Favourite destinations are China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia.

In the review period, the city’s tourism service sector earned some VND6.7 trillion, posting a growth of 38 percent. Hotel occupancy rates reached 85 percent.