(VOV) - Recently, the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has added special dishes to its menu for VIP passengers, aiming to reach four-star international standards.

Hanoi has many specialties on offer but one of the most renowned snacks which most visitors to the capital want to bring home as a gift for family and friends is banh com (sweet, soft and fragrant green rice cake).

The following places not only attract tourists with their landscapes but also delicious dishes.

Vietnam should extend the visa-free period for visitors from five Western European countries, continue with this policy for more than a year, and improve tourism products to attract more tourists from this market, industry insiders told the 2015 International Travel Expo HCM City on September 11.

(VOV) -There are many foods in this world for which it doesn’t seem possible people would actually stick in their mouths without a gun to their head. Here are five we’ve found in Vietnam.

Tung lamaow is a famous traditional dish of Cham people in the border town of Chau Doc in An Giang Province. To eat it, people in HCMC previously had to travel to An Giang but today they do not have to do that as in the heart of HCMC there is a restaurant called Hem serving this dish.

Whenever travelling to U Minh, Ca Mau, aside from enjoying the vast array of delicious and distinct dishes, one must remember to try the U Minh Fish Sauce Hotpot. This is one of the key dishes of southern Vietnam.

Vietnam has a varied and delicious cuisine that has been recognised on many world rankings, and in culinary and tourism magazines around the world. However, it is important to continuing promoting Vietnamese cuisine.

Those still undecided over where to go on Vietnam’s 70th National Day on September 2 should consider numerous gastronomy and spa programs prepared by leading hotels in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

A number of hotels under the management of Saigontourist in Ho Chi Minh City have launched food programmes in preparation for Vietnam’s National Day on September 2.

(VOV) - Foreign arrivals to Vietnam in August are estimated at 664,985, an increase of 12% over last month and 7.5% against the same period last year.

For people in the southern province of Binh Phuoc, around 130 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, the cicada brings more than just songs.

(VOV) - Dai Nam tourism complex in southern Binh Duong province is seen as an ideal destination for visitors, thanks to amazing architecture and good entertainment services.

(VOV) - Western streets in major cities- Hanoi, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City- are seen as ideal places for entertainment or dating as they reflect different Vietnamese cultures.

(VOV) - The first tourism gala was held in Chandigarh, India by the Vietnamese Embassy and two domestic travel agents, Vidotour and Victoria Tour on August 10 attracting around 100 representatives of Indian travel agents and news reporters.

(VOV) - Coming to the Central Highland region, visitors will have an excellent opportunity to experience limitless coffee and rubber plantations and rhythms of gong.

(VOV) - Travelling the Vietnam North-South Railway is a rich journey that everyone should experience during their lifetime.

(VOV) - Visitors should spend at least one full-moon night a year in Hoi An ancient town and experience the simple life found there.

Tourism agencies in HCM City and the northern province of Quang Ninh are working closely to develop tours between the two localities, with a promise to launch new tourism products, tourism officials have said.

(VOV) - KLF Joint Venture Global Investment Joint Stock Company (KLF Global) and Vietnam Helicopters (VNH) have launched helicopter services for tourists on Hanoi-Sapa tour at the price of some VND200 million. 

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) expects tourist arrivals from five western European countries to increase by 50 per cent in the next three years as visa exemption norms kicked in this month.

Vuong Thanh Quan says he only eats the fish vermicelli soup bún cá at his favorite eatery in his hometown in An Giang Province, even though he travels frequently and has tried many different versions of the Vietnamese dish. 

(VOV) - The Middle East Respiratory Disease (MERS) has scared away tens of thousands of international tourists and forced them to change or cancel planned visits to the Republic of Korea (RoK). 

The northern port city of Hai Phong plans to focus on promoting the tourism potential of the Cat Ba archipelago, which is renowned for its diversity of tourism products. 

Tourist arrivals in Thailand in the first quarter of 2015 came to 7.8 million, accounting for an increase of 24%, over the same period of 2014, the Government declared at a ceremony to launch the 2015 the Year of "Discover Thainess.”

In response to the Government’s strategy to position Thailand as a Muslim-friendly destination, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will launch its first smartphone application designed specifically to make it easier for Muslim visitors to find Muslim-friendly products, services, and facilities across Thailand.

International visitors to Vietnam are likely to burgeon from 8 to 18 percent should the Government create more favourable conditions for visa waivers, said Vu Tien Loc, President of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

(VOV) - The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) marked its 55th founding anniversary on July 7 and launched a campaign encouraging Vietnamese people to travel domestically.

Travellers to Hanoi during the first six months of this year reached around 10 million, up 4% from the same period last year, according to the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines is offering a promotion on its flights between Hanoi and Japan’s Haneda Airport in Tokyo on the occasion of the route’s one year anniversary.