Hanoi's five-star hotels booked up until next year

Unprecedented demand has led to all of Hanoi's five-star hotels being fully booked until the start of 2018, reported Vietnam News Agency.

In the first half of this year, Vietnam's capital welcomed over 11 million visitors. That figure included over two million foreign tourists, up 13 percent on-year.

The city has around 600 accommodation facilities but is short of posh hotels. Only four new high-end hotels have been opened since April 2011, but the city has plans to build 20 new luxury hotels in downtown areas to meet the increasing demands of wealthy travelers.

In order to do this, the city is encouraging investors into the hotel market, Hanoi People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung said.

In addition to hotel development, Hanoi is also looking at new promotions to pull in more tourists.

This year, Hanoi aims to welcome 23.61 million visitors, a yearly increase of 8 percent. That figure includes a targeted 4.3 million foreign tourists.

Overall, Vietnam is hoping to welcome 11.5 million foreign visitors in 2017, up 15 percent from last year.