Trang An heritage site in Ninh Binh province (Photo:VNA)

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) recently launched a photo contest called #VietnamNOW on Facebook to promote Vietnam’s tourism to the world.

The event will run from October 15 to 30 as part of a communications strategy to promote Vietnam to international travellers.

Entries should focus on high-end experiences and world-class tourism products and services that Vietnam has to offer besides the country’s natural landscapes, UNESCO world heritage sites and traditional culture.

Vietnam welcomed 12.9 million foreign visitors in the first nine months of 2019, a year-on-year rise of 10.8 percent, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

In September alone, the number of foreign holidaymakers was estimated at 1.56 million.

The office said the number of foreign arrivals from Asian nations saw the highest increase of 12.5 percent, followed by those from Africa, America and Europe with respective rises of 10.8 percent, 6.8 percent and 5.3 percent.

Vietnam’s tourism sector aims to receive 17.5 – 18 million foreign tourists in 2019 and serve 85 million domestic visitors, raking in total revenue of 700 trillion VND (30.17 billion USD).

VNF ( VNA )