The number of foreign tourists coming to the city jumped from 1.2 million in 2008 to 2.1 million in 2012, while the number of domestic tourists grew from 7 million to 12.3 million.—File Photo

HA NOI (Biz Hub)— It has been five years since Ha Noi expanded its administrative border. The capital city's tourism sector has enjoyed positive changes as it knows how to make full use of tourism advantages to attract more visitors, both domestic and international.

The number of foreign tourists coming to the city jumped from 1.2 million in 2008 to 2.1 million in 2012, while the number of domestic tourists grew from 7 million to 12.3 million.

In the first half of this year, despite a fall in the number of visitors to Viet Nam due to economic difficulties, Ha Noi still welcomed more than one million foreign arrivals, a year-on-year rise of 15 percent, and 7.3 million domestic visitors, up 8 percent.

Last year, the city was listed the sixth most attractive destination in Asia by Smart Travel Asia, the region's leading online travel magazine, and second in a list of 100 international cities with good hotel services by the well-known tourism website Trivago.

Recently, it also entered TripAdvisor's Top 25 Destinations in Asia, the world's largest travel website.

The achievements are attributed to Ha Noi's efforts to exploit the tourism potential of the expanded area.

Besides renowned destinations like President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Van Mieu (Temple of Literature ), Thang Long Citadel, Hoan Kiem lake and ancient streets, the city has paid more attention to developing other tourism sites, including Tan Da mountain in Ba Vi district, Duong Lam old village in Son Tay district and Van Phuc silk village in Ha Dong district. — VNS