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| The Royal Palace in Luang Prabang, Laos, a tourism site that attract a large number of domestic and foreign travelers (Photo: VNA) |
Laos welcomed over 1 million foreign tourists in the reviewed period, it said, adding that visitors from Thailand topped the list with 337,689. China, the Republic of Korea and China ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
According to the ministry, in addition to promoting tourism, the Visit Laos Year 2024 also aims to introduce the country's art, culture and traditions, as well as provide information about its long-standing history and sustainable use of natural resources to tourists.
Recently, many famous travel magazines in the region and the world have rated Laos as one of the attractive destinations or "slow travel" spots. They highlighted its cultural attractions, outdoor experiences and timeless charm.
To achieve the goals set for this year, Laos has built short-term and long-term strategies to develop this key economic sector to compete with other countries in the region, making an important contribution to its economic recovery and development.
The Lao government hopes to host at least 4.6 million international tourists in 2024, generating a revenue of 1.3 billion USD.
Vietnam secures two more tickets to Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
Vietnam's Nguyen Thuy Linh and Le Duc Phat ranked 17th and 37th in the latest Badminton World Federation rankings with 48,350 and 23,630 points, respectively, securing their spots to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics this summer, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Department of Sports and Physical Training reported on April 30, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Badminton player Nguyen Thuy Linh (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Since 2022, both Linh and Phat have set their own determination to participate in various international tournaments in order to accumulate their individual points and achieve a good position on the Badminton World Federation rankings.
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| Badminton player Le Duc Phat ranks 37th in the latest Badminton World Federation rankings (Photo: VNA) |
Currently, the players are focusing on training inside the country. They also plan to compete in some international tournaments in May and June for best preparation for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic.
So far, Vietnam has secured 10 official slots to participate in the Olympics, including those badminton, shooting, swimming, cycling), weightlifting, boxing, canoeing, and rowing.
Major airports see over 200,000 passengers as holiday ends
Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi and and Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City saw more than 200,000 passengers on May 1 as people returned to the cities after the Reunification Day and May Day holiday, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| Passengers at the domestic terminal of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi (Photo: VNA) |
According to a representative of Noi Bai airport, 538 flights (303 domestic and 235 international) landed carrying approximately 94,000 passengers in total, which was the most traffic during the five-day holiday.
Tan Son Nhat airport reported more than 690 flights with 110,237 passengers onboard, 60,528 arrivals and 49,709 departures.
The two major airports of the country had made necessary preparations to ensure transportation flows and increase the use of technology as well as law enforcement to help regulate traffic.
They also recommended passengers use public transport instead of personal vehicles for drop-off and pick-up to reduce congestion at parking lots.
Fruit and vegetable exports see upswing in four months
Vietnam raked in more than US$1.8 billion from exporting fruit and vegetables during the opening four months of the year, representing a year-on-year rise of 32.1%, reported the Voice of Vietnam according to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
With export orders increasing strongly, fruit and vegetable exporters earned US$1.3 billion in the first quarter of the year, marking the first time that their export earnings have exceeded the US$1 billion mark.
Notably, fruit and vegetable exports to major markets enjoyed positive growth in the reviewed period. China was the largest consumer, spending US$759.4 million on imports, up 32.4% year on year.
Meanwhile, exports to the Republic of Korea, the United States, and Thailand also surged by 59.3%, 33.9%, and 112% to reach US$74.6 million, US$67.7 million, and US$47.6 million, respectively.
Among the major fruits, durian is a potential export item that brought in more than US$2 billion out of a total of US$5.6 billion Vietnam earned from exporting fruit and vegetables last year. China alone imported nearly 600,000 tonnes of durian worth US$2.1 billion from Vietnam last year.
According to experts, although there remains plenty of room for fruit and vegetable exports moving forward, local businesses are required to further improve their product quality in order to secure a firm foothold in demanding markets and avoid risks of items being recalled.
The fruit and vegetable sector is anticipated to fetch between US$6 billion and US$6.5 billion in export turnover in 2024./.