HANOI, June 29 (Xinhuanet) -- Vietnam received about 1.3 million foreign arrivals in the first half of this year, up 27 percent over the same period last year, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) on Tuesday.

    The organization of many grand festivals and celebrations such as the Hue Festival and the 50th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory and the facilitation of air services in the country in theperiod were mainly attributed to the rise, it said.

    In June alone, the country welcomed about 230,000 foreign visitors, mainly from France, Japan, the United States, and the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.

    To lure more international visitors, Vietnam is focusing on raising the quality of services, and launching more promotion campaigns both domestically and abroad, VNAT said.

    The country, which targets to receive 2.7-2.8 million international arrivals this year, up 22.7-27.3 percent, plans to host 3-3.5 million foreign visitors, and gain tourism revenues of more than 2 billion dollars in 2005.

    According to the latest assessment of the World Travel and Tourism Council, Vietnam's annual tourism growth rate will reach 8.3 percent in the next 10 years, ranking the fourth after Montenegro,China, and India. Enditem