Vietnam seeks larger share of Indian tourists

Vietnam wants a larger inflow of Indian tourists, who are yet to show as much interest in this far eastern country as they do in its neighbours like Thailand and Malaysia.

Nguyen Le Thanh, deputy chief of mission at Vietnam Embassy, today said 20 million Indians travel overseas every year, while only 90,000 of them go to visit Vietnam.

"India has a very important place in our foreign policy and we have a comprehensive strategic partnership. The bonding will strengthen further with more people to people contact and this can been be boosted through tourism," she said.

There are, however, no direct flight to any Vietnamese destination from Indian cities.

Thanh said the first direct air service between Vietnam's most populous city Ho Chi Minh City and New Delhi is likely to commence by the last quarter of this financial year.

She said Vietnam has seen a rapid rise in tourist inflow from the other parts of the world with an average 25 to 30 per cent increase in numbers every year compared to the previous year.

"From just 2.5 lakh overseas tourists in 1990, Vietnam has registered 13 million tourist arrivals in 2017," she said.

Thanh said that the country has a great heritage with a 4000-year-old history.

With a very long coastline, the S-shaped country has 125 beaches including the popular Nha Trang, Da Nang and Phu Quoc island, she said.

She said the country is peaceful and safe with friendly people and boasts of an exquisite cuisine.