The tourism sector's proposal is part of the effort to turn the country into a major tourism destination, Mr Tu said at a conference in Hanoi on April 25. He said the Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Finance to draft regulations on the hiring of foreign consultants.

The sector has submitted to the Prime Minister a project to establish a tourism support fund and a plan to co-operate with 30 airlines and international travel companies to launch a worldwide promotion programme featuring the image of Vietnam.

Between 2000 and 2005, an annual average of 3.4 million foreign tourists came to Vietnam, double the 1999 level. The figure is expected to increase to 5.5-6 million by 2010.