The programme aims to form a tourist quadrangle in the Mekong Delta key economic region.

For the long term, they have mapped out a master plan, as well as detailed plans for each locality, to develop the industry, making it a key economic sector thus helping boost the region’s socio-economic and cultural development.

The four localities will join hands in developing and upgrading infrastructure and encouraging economic sectors to invest in the industry.

They will also coordinate in personnel training, building a tourism promotion centre along with a website to publicize the region’s tourism industry, and diversifying and improving the quality of tourism products and services.

In particular, Kien Giang’s Phu Quoc Island will be developed into a tourist city, and a centre of international-standard ecological resorts. The island will have luxury recreational facilities, five-star hotels, casinos, trade centres, and conference halls, as well as non-tariff zones for air and sea ports, craft villages and centres for hi-tech agricultural production to serve the tourism industry.

A 30-day limit will be placed on the use of the vehicles which must be passenger cars owned by foreign organisations or individuals with registration plates obtained in foreign countries.

In cases of unforeseen circumstances, drivers can extend their permits by 10 days.

Decree 80/2009/ND-CP requires that the right-hand-drive vehicles have valid certificates of technical safety and environmental protection.

The drivers must be nationals of countries with left-hand traffic regulations and hold specific driving licences and approval documents from the Ministry of Transport.

The Government has set a time limit of five working days to process applications with complete and valid dossiers.

In cases of disapproval, reasons must be given to applicants within three days.

Meanwhile, a transport ministry spokesman said moves are underway to make road signs more convenient for right-hand-drives.

David Wilson, a British tourist, said the regulation would help boost the country’s tourism industry as there are nearly 60 countries in the world which drive on the left.

The other cities taking part included New Delhi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, Singapore and Bangkok.

The participants at the event exchanged their experiences in managing a major city, especially in urban planning, infrastructure building and ways of addressing problems that have arisen from rapid urbanisation.

The conference also discussed how to maintain a sustainable tourism industry and prevent the A/H1N1 influenza in big cities as well as carrying out joint projects on measures to cope with the global financial crisis, environmental protection and industrial development.

At present, many Asian cities are facing problems such as rapid urbanisation, increasing populations, the spread of diseases, high crime rates and a drop in living standards.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), urban areas around the world grow in population by an additional 67 million people each year and the number of urban citizens is estimated to rise to around 5 billion by 2030, 60% of the world’s population.

On the sidelines of the conference, an exhibition featuring the special characteristics of each Asian city taking part in the conference was held together with a selection of attractive tourism programmes.

For the first time, the craftsmen in Van Phuc Silk Village will unveil the secrets of the silk making process at a demonstration of their skills during the exhibition.

The organising board is holding a handicrafts contest to mark the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi next year.

The exhibition is co-organised by the National Museum of Vietnamese History and the Vietnam’s UNESCO Club on Rechearch and Preservation for the Value of National Antiquity.