Foreign visitors are buying souvenirs at Ben Thanh Market.(Photo: SGGP)

Ho Chi Minh City tourism authorities are hoping three million foreign visitors will visit the city this year, 7 percent up from last year, spending VND34 trillion (US$2 billion).

They plan to concentrate their marketing in five markets: Japan, Australia, Western Europe, ASEAN, and Korea.

To attract foreign as well as domestic visitors, the city has run a promotion focused on events like the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Festival in April, the Southern Fruits Festival in June, and the International Tourism Exhibition in September.

It has also made efforts to improve some traditional festivals in the city.

Around 520,000 foreign visitors came in the first two months, down 10 percent from the same period last year.