Many reasons to tour Ho Chi Minh City

The ongoing 2015 HCM City Tourism Festival, which runs from March 26 to 29, attracted over 40 local and foreign agencies including those from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Participants showcased their latest tourism products and services during the event.

Hermann Swiss, 55, from Switzerland and his friend from France, told Xinhua that it was the third time they visited HCM City.

"We love the peaceful and secure environment here, especially the city's beauty spots and delicious food," said Herman, adding that he would re-visit the city and invite his friends to join.

The host Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City, also known as Saigon, is Vietnam's largest city with a population of 9.95 million and the country's economic, cultural and education hub.

The city stands among the most favorite destinations to both local and foreign tourists to Vietnam, boasting a "must" stop in the country's southern part.

Bearing nicknames as Paris of the Orient and Pearl of the Far East, HCM City has retained all the views of its ancient images, along with its modern architecture that attracts most visitors.

They included the French-styled Notre-Dame Basilica, the City Post Office, the Municipal Theatre, the City Hall, the Reunification Palace among others.

Many hotels of historical significance have been well preserved, such as Majestic Hotel, dating from the French colonial time, or the Rex and Caravelle Hotels, which were famous hangouts for U.S. military officers and war correspondents in the 1960s and 1970s.

Those sights became famous tourist spots of the city, along with dozens of specific museums in the downtown, including the Ho Chi Minh Museum, the Vietnam Museum of History, the War Remnants Museum, the Vietnamese Southern Women's Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Nha Rong Memorial House.

For those who are keen to know more about the Vietnam War, Cu Chi tunnels are not to be missed.

The tunnels are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in Cu Chi district, formerly the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War.

For those who love eco-tourism, the Can Gio reserve will satisfy them to their most. It is a wetland located about 40 km southeast of HCM City which has been listed by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve.

The site is an important wildlife sanctuary in Vietnam as it is characterized by a wetland biological system dominated by mangrove and many rare species.

The forest covers an area of 75,740 hectares, with over 150 botanical species in existence.

HCM City has lured an increasing number of visitors in recent years due to its fast, dynamic development.

The city's modern face impresses visitors by the 262.5-meter skyscraper, Bitexco Financial Tower, with 68 floors above ground and three basements, making it the 124th tallest building in the world.

Visitors say they feel comfortable with the local tourist infrastructure and services.

Currently, the city has a total of 641 hotels with 17,646 rooms, of which 11 are 5-star hotels carrying famous brands such as Caravelle, Sheraton, Movenpick, New World, Equatorial, Legend, Renaissance Riverside, Windsor Plaza, Sofitel Plaza, Park Hyatt and Majestic, providing over 3,600 rooms and locating mostly in the downtown District 1.

Ngoc Vy, a sale executive of the city's Viet Media Travel Company, told Xinhua that visitors often book tours to HCM City for two or three days stay, during which they take a city tour to historical and cultural sites, and to the city's surrounding areas.

"Besides local tourists, most foreign tourists come from Russia, the United States, China and Malaysia, and their purpose is for vacation with the peak time from June to August, Christmas and the New Year," Vy said.

He added that U.S. tourists with many of them veterans are interested in touring war-related sites, or eco-tourism spots.

Russian tourists prefer to go to Vung Tau, famed for its beautiful beaches and just about two hours and a half by car driving.

Duong Tuyet Dinh, another sale executive of Sai Gon Global Tourism and Service Limited Company, said foreign tourists may also book tours to Laos and Cambodia from HCM City-located travel agents.

"If foreign tourists want to travel to Laos or Cambodia, they must register to their respective country's tourism agency first, then the agency will contact my company to arrange tours for them, " Dinh told Xinhua.

In 2014, over 4.4 million foreign visitors came to HCM City, an increase of 7 percent year on year and accounting for 56 percent of foreign arrivals to Vietnam.