Over 300 international arrivals were greeted at the Noi Bai International Airport on Jan. 1 with flowers and Hanoi souvenir badges at the plane’s ladder.

The passengers aboard the Vietnam Airlines flight VN 534 from Paris , France , coming from different European nations, were the first callers to Vietnam ’s capital city on the 2010 New Year’s Day.

The earliest visitor, Mr Zamorano Denis, was presented with a special souvenir, a trans-Vietnam tour package in 10 days and 9 nights for two persons, including domestic flights and five-star hotel services.

Early on the day, the Tan Son Nhat International Airport held a ceremony, marked with art performances, to welcome the first international arrivals of 2010 to Ho Chi Minh City .

They were 180 passengers of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines from Frankfurt , Germany , and 180 passengers of the Thai Airway. Most of them were European citizens.

In 2009, the southern economic hub welcomed 2.52 million foreign arrivals and 8 million domestic holiday makers.

The municipal hospitality industry earned a turnover of 34 trillion VND (roughly 1.836 billion USD), representing an increase of 10 percent year on year./.