Foreign tourists arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Ho Chi Minh City, on the first day of the New Year were warmly welcomed by Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, La Quoc Khanh.

The lucky travellers included 315 tourists from Frankfurt , Germany , and 150 visitors from Hong Kong .

According to the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this is the first in a series of activities to promote Vietnam in 2013.

In 2012, HCM City received 3.8 million foreign tourists, an increase of 8.5 percent from last year, accounting for 56 percent of all int’l arrivals to the country. Tourism generated 68 trillion VND for the city - 42.5 percent of the national total.-VNA