The coastal cities of Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Phu Quoc Island and the Central Highlands city of Da Lat were among the most popular destinations for tourists over Tet.

Tan Duc/Tuoi Tre

Domestic travel agencies said there was a 15 to 20 percent increase in the number of domestic and foreign tourists during the Lunar New Year festive period compared to last year, Lao Dong newspaper reported.

Travel company Saigontourist said it welcomed 10,000 tourists, including 5,000 international tourists who arrived by air, land and sea during Tet, the Lunar New Year holiday which began on January 26.

The coastal cities of Nha Trang, Phan Thiet, Phu Quoc Island and the Central Highlands city of Da Lat were among the most popular destinations for tourists over Tet.

Some 4,000 Chinese tourists entered Vietnam through the Lao Cai border gate in northern Vietnam during the first four days of the Lunar New Year, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

The mountainous Sapa Town, a must-see travel destination in the north, welcomed 1,000 high-income tourists who booked out all rooms in local hotels of two stars and above.

Since the beginning of this year, Ha Long Bay has reportedly received 380,000 visitors, most of who are from the U.K., North America, France, Japan, China, Korea and Thailand. Half of the tourists are from Europe, Lao Dong reported.

Over the Tet period, thousands of visitors from the U.K., U.S., Canada and Australia arrived in Vietnam on the Azamara Quest, Costa Allegra, Seaborn Spirit cruise ships at Quang Ninh City’s port.

A popular tourist destination in central Vietnam, the ancient Hoi An Town, attracted 10,000 holidaymakers, 2,749 of them from overseas, during the first three days of the Tet festival, according to Tuoi Tre Newspaper.

To attract visitors, the World Heritage-listed ancient town staged its first ethnic street festival which was accompanied by a lantern festival on Lunar New Year’s Eve on January 25.

The Mekong Delta’s An Giang Province, famous for its beautiful natural scenery and tropical fruits and flowers, also saw a 41 percent increase in tourist numbers compared to the same period last year, according to Pham The Trieu, deputy director of the province’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

Some 160,000 tourists, 1,620 of whom are from outside the country, visited local tourism zones in the southern city of Can Tho during the first four days of the Lunar New Year.

The high number of tourists was attributed to the recent launch of flights from Hanoi to Can Tho as well as the discounts offered by 12 of the city’s tourism businesses.