Vietnam welcomed more than 4.28 million foreign tourists in the first half of this year, a year-on-year hike of 21.11 percent, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said on June 25.

Among top markets of Vietnamese tourism, Hong Kong (China) recorded the highest growth of 140.6 percent, followed by Germany (115.8 percent), Laos (38.8 percent) and China (37.4 percent).

Domestic tourists were estimated at 23.4 million, up 6.9 percent year on year, bringing the country’s tourism revenue in the reviewed period to 125 trillion VND (5.87 billion USD), up 22.5 percent against the same period last year.

Ho Chi Minh City recorded nearly 2.1 million foreign arrivals, equivalent to 48 percent of the year’s plan and up 10 percent year on year, while Hanoi attracted 1.39 million, a surge of 17.4 percent against the corresponding time last year.

Between January and June, some 1.6 million tourists visited the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, helping the locality’s revenue from tourism increase 21.8 percent. Foreign visitors generated 63.5 percent of the earnings.

In 2014, Thua Thien-Hue, one of the most attractive destinations in the central region, targets 2.8-3 million tourists, including at least 1.2 million from abroad.-VNA