Vietnam gets fewer tourist

Vietnam gets fewer tourist

HANOI (Reuter): Vietnam, which has been a strong tourist and
business draw since opening its doors to the outside world,
appears to be losing some of its allure.

An official at the National Administration of Tourism said on
Tuesday that 700,000 foreigners had visited the country so far
this year, seven percent fewer than in the same period of 1996.

A record 1.6 million foreigners, including people on business,
went to Vietnam in 1996. Although that was an 18-percent rise
from the year before, it was a slowdown from 1995's explosive
growth of 33 percent.

The daily Vietnam News quoted the National Administration of
Tourism's Deputy Director, Bui Xuan Nhat, as saying business
executives were delaying visits to see how changes to the foreign
investment law would affect the business climate.