Viet Nam remains safe destination for tourists, confirms tourism service

In a letter sent to international travel agencies, the VNAT say: “foreign tourists and foreign people living and working in Viet Nam will not be infected with the H5N1 virus.”

The VNAT adds that it has taken a series of drastic measures to ensure safety for tourists. All Vietnamese tourism enterprises have been provided with knowledge and measures to prevent the epidemic. They are asked not to take tourists to epidemic-hit areas nor to use poultry meat without certificates of origin.

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

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

In 2005, China, Europe, North America and Eastern Asia remained the main customers of Viet Nam’s tourism industry. With more than 300,000 tourists to Viet Nam, the Republic of Korea has taken the lead with a 50 percent yearly increase.