(03/31/2004 -- 17:41GMT+7)

Ha Noi, Mar. 28 (VNA) - In the first quarter of this year, nearly 744,000 foreign tourists came to Viet Nam, a 4.3 percent rise over the same period last year.

In March alone, Viet Nam's smokeless industry saw a 3.1 percent rise to 223,130 visitors.

The number of visitors coming from the Republic of Korea (RoK) posted the highest year-on-year increase, with 34. 5 percent; followed closely by those from China, 27.7 percent. Holiday makers from Russia, New Zealand, Thailand, Australia and Indonesia, also rose from 8.8-21.2 percent.

Efforts to contain bird flu as well as measures taken to protect tourists from the epidemic have made foreign visitors to Viet Nam feel secure, says the tourism agency.

Free entry visa for tourists is also one of the main reasons for the rise, an official from the Viet Nam Administration of Tourism (VAT) said, adding that local domestic tourism agencies are hoping for a bonanza year with the number of foreign visitors surging considerably. Viettravel, for example, saw a 60 percent gain in European visitors over last month.

In a bid to expand tourism development, Viet Nam is carrying out a project to strengthen the marketing capacity and tourism promotion with help from the Spanish Government and organised a workshop in Central Thua Thien Hue province to preserve and introduce the world's hesitate sites in Viet Nam.



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