Vietnam - Tourism, travel, and recreation

Vietnam possesses a number of historic and scenic areas of interest to tourists. In the north, the beauty of Ha Long Bay, with its countless grottoes and rock spits jutting vertically into the sea, is well known. Hanoi itself, with its historical monuments, its lakes and pagodas, and its extensive French colonial architecture, is extremely picturesque, but hotel facilities are both inadequate and expensive.

In 1986 and 1987, the government made plans to expand international and domestic airline service, double hotel capacity in the major cities, simplify the complicated visa restrictions, and grant shore leave passes to passengers on cruise ships stopping at Vietnamese ports. As a result of these measures, tourism grew rapidly. From 20,000 in 1986, visitor arrivals rose to 450,000 in 1992 and 1,715,637 in 1997. In 2000, 2,140,000 foreign visitors arrived in Vietnam. That year there were 66,700 hotel rooms with 120,800 bed-places and an occupancy rate of 50%. All visitors need visas and must register with the government within 48 hours of arrival.

According to 2001 US government estimates, the cost of staying in Ho Chi Minh City was $154 per day. Travel costs in Hanoi were estimated at $155 per day.