The northern province of Hoa Binh is hoping to receive more than 3.32 million visitors by 2020, generating a revenue of nearly 2.5 trillion VND (118.5 million USD), which they intend to double by 2030, ultimately bringing 11 trillion VND (520.3 million USD) into the province.

Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, and Quang Nam recently unveiled a joint campaign to promote tourism in their central region, home to numerous renowned beaches and world heritage sites.

A channel promoting tourism in Vietnam has been launched on the video-streaming platform YouTube, giving audiences free access to news and images about places of interest across the nation.

The Azamara Quest cruise ship, carrying over 600 passengers from the UK, Germany, the US, and others, docked at Tien Sa port on January 9, becoming the first cruise to land in the central city if Da Nang in the new year.

Vietnam has recently been selected as one of the best 25 places to retire in 2015 in the world by internationalliving.com.

The Ministry of Health said the number of foreign patients treated by medical facilities in the country surged last year, bringing foreign currency earnings of some 1 billion USD, the Saigon Times Daily reported.

Northern central Thanh Hoa province is speeding up preparations for “Japan Cultural Days in Thanh Hoa” programme, which is part of a series of events to kick off the 2015 National Tourism Year.

As many as 10,000 holiday-makers, including 6,000 foreigners, visited Hue imperial city, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, on January 1, said Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Hue Relic Conservation Centre.

The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of central Quang Ngai province is gearing up for the launch of home-stay service in Ly Son island district.

Nearly 1,000 visitors explored Phong Nha and Tien Son caves located in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which was recognised by UNESCO as a Natural Heritage Site, in central Quang Binh province, on January 1, 2015.

Vietnam has come at the top of travellers’ list in 2015, the Canada’s CTV News and The Malay Mail reported on their websites on December 31.

Over 1,000 foreign passengers, the first callers on New Year day, received warm reception at the Tan Son Nhat int'l airport in HCM City on January 1.

The World Heritage site of Hoi An in central Quang Nam province welcomed a group of 68 Polish tourists on January 1, the first foreign visitors to the city in 2015, promising good luck for the new year.

Vietnam will facilitate visa processing for foreign tourists, open new direct international flights and improve its tourism environment in order to attract more tourists in 2015, said Nguyen Van Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration for Tourism (VNAT), at a conference in Hanoi on December 30.