They mainly came from China, Australia, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, France, Malaysia and the US. Chinese tourists raced ahead took the lead with a surge of 111 percent, according to figures released by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Ho Chi Minh City was a major destination, drawing 1.3 million overseas tourists, accounting for more than half of the total figure in the last five months.

The holidays on April 30-May 1 also led to a sharp rise in domestic holidays makers. The numbers even doubled at popular sites such as the mountain resort of Sa Pa in the northern province of Lao Cai, Nha Trang Bay in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa and the old French mountain resort Da Lat in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong.

Some popular resorts were fully booked, pushing tour prices up by 20-30 percent.

In an effort to speed up the ongoing growth, many travel agencies in conjunction with local administrations have launched a variety of promotion campaigns.

The central city of Da Nang now offers an extensive programme of discounts on goods and services during August and September with prices during cut by 5 to 25 percent.

The central coastal province of Khanh Hoa has also launched a series of promotion campaigns, offering 30-50 discounts on tours, restaurants and entertainment services for international flight passengers who land at Cam Ranh International Airport and book a hotel with three stars or more in Khanh Hoa.