This Russian family and nearly 300 guests on a Vietnam Airlines’ flight from Moscow landed at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 9.35am. This was the first flight carrying foreign visitors to Vietnam in 2008.

Stewardesses and HCM City Department of Tourism officials were at the airport to welcome the New Year’s pathfinders.

Alexander, his wife Alesya and their son Victor, 8, from Russia’s Samara city, said they visited Singapore and Indonesia but Vietnam is a destination they have wanted most to see for a long time.

“I love the cozy weather here. My family will stay in HCM City for three days. After that, we will go to Phan Thien for ten days. This is our first time in Vietnam and your warm welcome is really impressive,” Alexander said.

After Alexander’s flight, at 9.45am, an EVA Airways flight from Taipei carried 250 visitors to HCM City.

Duong Hoang Minh, a Vietnamese Canadian on the flight, said: “I’ve been in Canada for 27 years and since 1990 have returned home regularly. Each time I visit, I see a Vietnam that is more developed, more open and more friendly.”

Minh, his wife and their two sons will stay in HCM City for several days and will then visit Minh’s hometown in the southern province of Soc Trang to welcome the lunar New Year.

Nearly one hour later, Saigontourist welcomed its first group of foreign visitors this year. The group included 15 Germans and one Dane. They will travel to HCM City, Can Gio, My Tho, Can Tho, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi, Ha Long and then visit Laos and Cambodia.

Phan Hoang Dong, the head tour guide of the group, said the trans-Vietnam tour will show visitors the best and most well-known of Vietnam’s many cultural sites, such as Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Hue, the Cai Rang floating market in Can Tho, the Dong Ba market in Hue, a fishing village in Nha Trang amongst many others.

That same morning, the five-star Costa Allegra cruise ship carrying 1,350 tourists, mainly from France and Italy, arrived in HCM City. These guests will see and experience HCM City and will then cruise to Da Nang on January 3. They will then go on to China.

Nearly 1,000 people attended a New Year’s Eve party on the five-star F-Diamond ship, owned by Fashion TV (FTV) channel, docked at Saigon Port. This is the first time FTV’s F-Diamond ship has hosted a New Years party in Vietnam.

At mid-night, Saigontourist welcomed 1,800 visitors from the SuperStar Libra cruise ship at Cai Lan Port, Quang Ninh Province, who came to see Ha Long Bay.

A Saigontourist representative said from December 25 to January 15, it will welcome nearly 1,000 foreign visitors, mainly from the UK, Germany, France, the US and Japan, up by 20% compared to the same period last year.

Also on January 1, Vietravel welcomed the first 21 foreign tourists from Malaysia and 40 from Japan.