Foreign arrivals in southern hub Ho Chi Minh City reached 2 million, up 27 percent over last year, an end-of-year report by its Tourism Department said. 

Americans topped the list of arrivals, followed by tourists from Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, France, China, Malaysia, Singapore, and Canada.

Last year, Japanese travelers topped the list while Americans were in fifth position.

Central Quang Nam province, which boasts UNESCO-recognized My Son tower complex and Hoi An town, for the first time received 1.2 million visitors, Dinh Hai, director of its Tourism Department said Thursday, adding 590,000 were foreign visitors.

Earlier this month, Hanoi welcomed its one-millionth foreign visitor and five-millionth visitor for 2005.

The capital’s tourism industry posts an average annual growth rate of 20% and, since 1992, the number of foreign visitors to Hanoi has risen five-fold.

The city has earned more than VND8 trillion (US$503 million) from tourism services in the 11 months to November. Hanoi was listed among the Top Five Asian Tourist Cities for the second time this year by leading US lifestyle magazine Travel & Leisure.

Reported by Cam Nhi, T.D.T – Translated by Ngoc Hanh.