(VOVworld) – Foreign tourists arrived in Ho Chi Minh city’s Tan Son Nhat airport are welcomed by joyous Vietnamese music, beautiful flowers and gifts, and warm greetings.

Foreign tourists welcomed at Tan Son Nhat airport on New Year's Day 2015

Van Thi Bach Tuyet, Director of the Ho Chi Minh city’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the welcome ceremony for the first foreign visitors to Vietnam is a curtain raiser for a series of tourism activities in 2015. Ho Chi Minh city expects to receive 4.7 million foreigners and 19 million domestic visitors in 2015.

The ancient town of Hoi An in Quang Nam province welcomed the first foreign delegation from Poland on January 1. Dinh Hai, Director of the Quang Nam provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “We hope to welcome 3.8 million tourists in 2015. We’ll expand our tourist space and make a breakthrough in tourism development. Besides Hoi An ancient town and My Son sanctuary, we’ll offer more sea tours and community-based tourist packages.”