Of the total, the number of foreign tourists coming to Lao Cai was over 348,000. Visitors from China (using travel card) still took the lead with 53,100 arrivals, up 78.4 percent against the same period last year, while 447,650 domestic arrivals visited Lao Cai, a year-on-year increase of 6 percent.

Over the past nine months, Sa Pa district attracted 388,176 visitors, reaching 75 percent of the year’s plan, while more than 79,900 foreign tourists visited the area.

Total tourism revenue of the province reached VND 1.100 billion in the first nine months this year, reaching 122.2 percent of the year’s plan and representing an increase of 69 percent compared to the same period last year.

According to Lao Cai Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, in 2011, Lao Cai will attract 890,000 tourist arrivals with total tourism revenue estimated at VND 1.300 billion.