HCM City welcomes the 3 millionth visitor | Look At Vietnam - Vietnam news daily update

LookAtVietnam - HCM City’s 3 millionth foreign
visitor arrived in Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 8.30 am, December 21,
on a flight from Moscow.

More than 200 visitors on the flight were warmly welcomed.
Three lucky visitors were presented a return ticket for the trip as the city’s
gift to the 3 millionth visitor.

At the welcome gate, visitors were presented with flowers
and enjoyed Vietnamese traditional dances.

“I’ve been to many countries. This welcome ceremony is very
impressive. Vietnam has beautiful landscapes, long coast and warm weather so I
decided Vietnam as the destination for my holiday. I’ll surely return here many
times,” said Mrs. Nina Fedorova, the 3 first millionth visitor.

This is the first time HCM City holding a welcome ceremony
to international tourists.

The city’s Tourism Department deputy director La Quoc Khanh
said the ceremony marked the important development of the city’s tourism sector,
with a 20 percent growth rate over 2009.

According to Khanh, the number of Russian visitors to
Vietnam is rising. Their spending in Vietnam is also very high, which increases
from 50-80 percent annually.

The city has also launched a promotional month for tourists
from December 15 2010 to January 15 2011.

The 3 millionth visitor – Mrs. Nina Fedorova.

PV

Fire closes Vietnam airport terminal - Breaking News - World - Breaking News

A fire at Vietnam's biggest airport closed its domestic terminal on Monday, the airport authority said.
The blaze at Tan Son Nhat Airport in Ho Chi Minh City broke out early Monday inside the terminal building.
A statement released by the Southern Airport Authority said firefighters battled for two hours to bring the fire under control.
Pictures broadcast on the state-run Vietnamese Television network showed a blackened terminal building with several broken windows, but the full extent of the damage was not clear.
No one was injured in the fire but operations at the airport were disrupted.
"The domestic terminal has been temporarily closed as from 5am local time Monday (0900 AEDT)," the airport authority said in a statement.
"Services will continue as normal... with domestic flights operating out of the international terminal."
The statement added that officials were working to asses the extent of the damage.
The official announcement did not give a reason for the fire but an AFP source at the airport said a wiring fault was thought to be the cause.
© 2008 AFP