HANOI, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's southern hub Ho Chi Minh City welcomed nearly 6.6 million foreign visitors in the first 10 months of this year, up about 18 percent year on year, local daily VnExpress reported Monday, citing the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The city's total tourism revenue during the period was estimated at 208 trillion Vietnamese dong (about 7.9 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 22 percent year on year, fulfilling 72 percent of the annual target, according to the report.
The municipal Department of Tourism has raised its full-year target to 10 million international visitors, 1.5 million more than the previous goal.
The city's tourism sector is forecast to record a 40 percent year-on-year surge in international tourist arrivals over the last two months of the year, local daily Tuoi Tre reported. ■