(VOV) - The northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh welcomed 650,000 visitors in the first quarter of the year including 48,000 foreign arrivals, up 37.4% from last year’s same quarter, said provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Director Bui Ngoc Lam.

The northern coastal province of Quang Ninh plans to become an international tourism hub able to compete with foreign hotspots.

(VOV) -The Hue relics complex in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue welcomed more than 500,645 visitors in the first quarter of 2014, including 320,740 foreigners.

(VOV) - National flag carrier, Vietnam Airlines, has announced its continued participation in this year’s upcoming – Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) – set to take place in Hanoi from April 3-6. 

Ho Chi Minh City authorities have signed a tourism co-operation agreement with 30 cities and provinces so that it can promote inter-regional tourism. 

(VOV) - An All Nippon Airways of Japan (ANA) plane landed at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport on March 30, kick-starting a weekly direct air route between Hanoi and Haneda (Tokyo).

(VOV) - Danang city has recorded a sharp increase in the number of international arrivals in the first quarter of 2014, up as much as 10-20%, according to travel agents Vitours, Vietravel and Saigontourist. 

(VOV) - The 10th annual HCM City Tourism Festival officially got underway on March 27 at Park 23/9 in district 1 featuring many tourism related venues and activities.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has planned a series of activities at home and abroad to promote Vietnamese tourism in 2014. 

Five Vietnamese destinations have been listed among 19 places in Southeast Asia that will “actually change your life” by the US’ Huffington Post newspaper. 

A variety of promotions have been launched for the first period of Golden Tourism Week in the former imperial city of Hue, which runs from March 26 to April 1.

The New Zealand Embassy in Vietnam and the Vnexpress e-newspaper on March 26 launched the “New Zealand - New Horizon” contest, aiming to promote the country’s tourism in Vietnam.

(VOV) -Vietnam welcomed more than 2.3 million foreign arrivals in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 29.3% from a year ago, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

The low-cost airlines Jetstar Pacific has announced that it will introduce international flights from Vietnam to Macau (China), with one departing from Hanoi and two others from the central city of Da Nang every day from March 28. 

(VOV) -Japan is promoting tourism in Vietnam, particularly in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi, in a bid to attract more tourists to the ancient Japanese capital of Nara.

(VOV) -Lufthansa German Airlines has announced its suspension of flights to Ho Chi Minh City as from March 25 after 23 years operating in Vietnam.

(VOV) -Promoting sustainable tourism is the thrust of a programme launched by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) in Moscow on March 19.

(VOV) -Vietnamese budget carrier VietJet Air has announced it will launch a new international route between HCM City and Singapore as of May 23.

(VOV) - Danang City has been listed among the top ten most outstanding new emerging destinations in Asia in 2014, according to Agoda.com, the renowned hotel booking website of Asia.

(VOV) -How to develop tourism closely linked to traditional craft villages was examined at a March 20 seminar in HCM City.

(VOV) - Vietnam’s tourism appeal is taking center stage at the 21st Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition which opened in Moscow on March 19. 

(VOV) - Northern Phu Tho province will spend over VND5,800 billion to invest in developing its tourism sector from now to 2020 targeting to turn the sector into the leading industry in the region. 

(VOV) -Low-cost carrier Jetstar Pacific airline (JPA) has announced a promotional offer on flights starting atVND288,000 from 2pm on March 17.

(VOV) - A wide range of activities have been held over the past two days in the central highlands province of Gia Lai’s Pleiku city in response to the Central Highland National Tourism Year.

(VOV) -Cua Lo town in the central province of Nghe An expects to welcome 2.2 million tourists, this year and increase tourism revenue by 19.9% compared to last year.

(VOV) -Since the beginning of the year, nearly 111,000 tourists have crossed into Vietnam through Huu Nghi (Friendship) bordergate in northern Lang Son province.

(VOV) - Royal Caribbean Cruise’ Celebrity Millennium cruise ship carrying more than 2,000 foreign tourists and 1,000 crew members docked at Chan May port in Thua Thien Hue province on March 11.

A policy to grant a 30-day visa exemption for foreign passport holders visiting Phu Quoc Island off the coast of the southern province of Kien Giang took effect on March 10.

(VOV) - According to UK-based website Hotels.com, Hanoi currently ranks second and Ho Chi Minh City sixth among the top ten cities with the cheapest hotel prices.

(VOV) - Tourism is considered a potential gold mine for Hanoi, yet the capital’s performance to boost the development of the sector has been limited.