Vietnam earns VND110,000 billion from tourism

Vietnam attracted more than 4.8 million international visitors and serviced 25.5 million domestic tourists in the first nine months of 2012, earning VND110,000 billion, up 15 percent over the same period last year.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that the result is a positive sign for the sector in the context of the global economic crisis, though it pointed out a number of shortcomings and difficulties that the sector has to address, including a lack of investment from the Government.
The Ministry suggested that Vietnam needs to improve the quality and efficiency of tourist services, highlighting areas for improvement such as a poor transport network, untrained staff, unattractive tourist products and a lack of relevant promotions.
In the immediate term, the sector needs to apply recent sanctions and build western-style toilet facilities at tourist sites as part of its set target.