Vietnam targets 4.5 million foreign arrivals in 2010

Vietnam targets 4.5 million foreign arrivals in 2010

QĐND – Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 21:43 (GMT+7)

The tourism sector sets a target of welcoming around 4.5 million foreign visitors in 2010, representing an increase of 20 percent over this year, said Nguyen Van Tuan, Head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

To reach the target, Tuan said the VNAT will coordinate with relevant agencies to implement tourism promotion programmes, including a 25 billion VND (1.35 million USD) national action programme on tourism focusing on activities to develop tourism products and human resources and a national tourism promotion programme with an estimated investment of 25 billion VND.

Vietnam expects to receive about 400,000 foreign visitors in December, raising the total number of foreign arrivals to the country this year to 3.9 million, down over 10 percent compared to the previous year.

However, the number of domestic tourists is estimated to increase 19 percent to 25 million.

The country’s total tourism revenue in 2009 is expected to reach 68-70 trillion VND (about 3.7 billion USD), increasing 10 percent over last year.

Foreign arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City , the country’s largest economic hub, also fell 10 percent to over 2.5 million, equivalent to 84 percent of the city’s yearly plan.

The city strives to attract more than 3.5 million foreign visitors and 10 million domestic tourists in 2010.

Source: VNA

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Global leaders pledge 4.5 bln USD to send kids to school

– Governments of many countries, charities and UN agencies has pledged 4.5 billion USD in an effort to get all the world’s children in school by 2015.

The donations were announced at the “Class of 2015: Education For All” pledging summit on September 25, which has a goal of getting 75 million more children into school and ending discrimination against girls.

The pledging conference was one of many international meetings taking place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to news agencies.

The goal of universal primary education was first promised as a fundamental right in 1948 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the UN’s core documents.

Since 2000, the campaign has brought 40 million more children into schools. Cambodia is ranked as a success story when it raised the rate of enrollment in primary schools from 50 percent to over 80 percent in just five years.-

Seafood expected to fetch 45 mln USD from Egypt

– Egypt has so far this year disbursed 30 million USD to import seafood from Vietnam and the figure is forecast to sharply increase in the coming time.

Egyptian consumes about 2 million tonnes of seafood a year with 30,000 tonnes worth nearly 300 million USD coming from other countries. Vietnam’s “tra” and “basa” catfish have been sold well in the market.

Banh Quang Ha, Director of the Quy Nhon frozen joint stock company informed that the company will boost its exports, including frozen shrimps, tuna and codfish to Egypt.

To help Vietnamese seafood exporters enter the market where import tax rate stands at zero percent, the Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt has reminded businesses to keep their goods in line with the hygiene and quality requirements, as well as strictly observe their contracts’ technical qualifications.

Vietnam plans to earn 45 million USD from seafood exports to Egypt in 2008.-

4.5 million children boosted with Vitamin A

– The Ministry of Health’s Institute of Nutrition announced that more than 4.5 million children nationwide received free vitamin A in June.

During the month, an additional 600,000 children between three to 60 months received Vitamin A and 800,000 two- to five-year-old children were administered vermifuge, provided by the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction through the Asian Development Bank.

The Nutrition Institute with the assistance of UNICEF has provided vitamin A for children and pregnant women across the country for the past 20 years.

The move has helped reduce blindness, raised illness resistance among children, reduced the mortality rate and contributed to reducing health problems related to vitamin A deficiency.-