The administration has set up a two-way hotline between the Committee for Bird Flu Prevention and tourism departments.

Vietnam has welcomed 3.43 million foreign visitors so far this year, an increase of over 17 percent against last year.

In 2005, more than 300,000 tourists have come to Vietnam with the Republic of Korea taking the lead with a 50 percent yearly increase, followed by China, Europe, North America and Eastern Asia.

Visitors for overseas Xmas tours on the rise

The number of visitors registering for overseas tours has increased sharply for Xmas and New Year, although the price of these tours has increased by between 10 to 20 percent compared to normal days.

So far, Fiditourist, Saigontourist and Vietravel have reported a 50 percent increase in the number of booked visitors. Singapore and Hong Kong are among the most favoured venues as they are offering special Xmas programmes for visitors.

According to travel agencies, a majority of visitors have also registered for tours of major Vietnamese tourist sites such as Sa Pa, Da Lat and Phan Thiet.