During the ATF ASEAN Tourism Forum, held in Hanoi, Vietnam, the tourism ministers of the ASEAN countries were pleased to note the progress of joint ASEAN tourism promotion, especially regarding the activities of the ASEAN Tourism Promotional Chapter (APCT) in Sydney, Seoul and Shanghai in 2008, producing promotional material and participating in international tourism events in their respective source markets.

The twelfth meeting of ASEAN tourism ministers took place in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2009 (ATF09) in Hanoi, Vietnam. The meeting was chaired by H.E. Mr. Tran Chien Thang (Vietnam Vice Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports) and co-chaired by H.E. Pehin Dato Yahya, Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam.

In a Meeting during ATF 2009 in Hanoi, Vietnam, tourism leaders from six Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) countries approved a joint statement to boost tourism and worked out further development plans for the coming future.
The GMS countries are expected to take in 53 million international tourists by the year 2015, creating jobs for more than 4.2 million laborers.

Price plunge in tourist bid – In a move to attract more tourists, prices for many tours throughout Vietnam will drop by 30 to 50 percent until September. This is one of the initiatives to boost tourism by Tran Chien Thang, Vietnam Deputy Minister of Tourism, Sport and Culture. He believes it will enable Vietnam to compete better with neighboring countries in the hunt for tourist dollars.

The ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is the most important and the largest-scale activity in the ASEAN tourism cooperation framework. The 8-day forum draws the participation of around 1,500 delegates including tourism ministers, leaders of national tourism offices, travel agents, tour operators and press corps, regional and worldwide. This is a big event of political, economic and social significances

Vietnam Airlines, the national flag carrier, is one of the few airlines in the world to report strong profits for 2008 as other airlines face financial difficulties.
During a press conference, Vietnam Airlines General Director Pham Ngoc Minh said the airline made more than USD 1.56 billion in revenue last year, an increase of 31.3 percent compared to a year ago with pre-tax profits reaching USD 14.1 million