As part of its river tourism promotion which starts this year, the southern region of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, will upgrade and even build more ports in its five districts. Based on a research conducted by the HCMC People's Committee and the tourism department, five districts are qualified for the city's river tourism promotion plan. Nguyen Viet Anh, a representative of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated that the following districts are the top priority for the port upgrade and building plan: Bang Dang Port of District 1;

Central Districts 8 and 9; and two rural districts Can Gio and Cu Chi. Bang Dang Port in particular is selected for the upgrade since it is where most river tours converge. In the other four chosen districts, port upgrades as well as building new ones is the objective.Outlining of construction plans by the districts and submission to the government are expected to be finished within the quarter. The cost of construction is a joint effort between the local budget and investors.In retrospect, Ho Chi Minh City was the first destination of international tourists who visited Vietnam.

This amounted to 3.8 million international visitors, or 85% of total foreign tourists to travel to Vietnam. This increase in foreign visits earned the city's tourism sector VND68 trillion in 2012, a 20% up from the previous year.Saigon Times reports.