HCM CITY — HCM City tourism companies this year will launch a tour of Oriental medicine stores on the streets of Lương Nhữ Học, Triệu Quang Phục and Hải Thượng Lãn Ông in the city’s District 5.

Representatives of tourism companies, the city’s People’s Committee, Department of Tourism and District 5’s People’s Committee on Monday held a meeting to open the tour.

The three streets have more than 120 businesses, manufacturers and clinics for Oriental medicine, according to Phạm Quốc Huy, chairman of District 5’s People’s Committee.

He said that District 5 had not taken full advantage of its tourism potential on these streets.

The district will hold Oriental Medicine Week on February 23-26 to attract tourists to the streets.

Besides the Oriental Medicine Market Street, the district will establish a fashion street on Nguyễn Trãi Street, jewelry and precious stone street, and a night market at 100 Hùng Vương Street and a food area at Thuận Kiều Plaza trade centre.

There will also be an electric bus route between District 5 and District 6 to meet needs of tourists for travelling, buying and learning about historic structures and the culture of ethnic Hoa (Chinese origin) people.

Trần Vĩnh Tuyến, deputy chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, said the city would renovate tourism places in districts to provide services such as visits to the Oriental Medicine streets and eating seafood in Cần Giờ District.

The city targets six million foreign tourists this year, according to the Department of Tourism.

The city received 5.2 million foreign tourists and 21.8 million domestic tourists last year, an increase of 10 per cent in both categories compared to 2015.

Total turnover from tourism in HCM City rose to VNĐ103 trillion (US$4.7 billion) last year, increasing 9 per cent compared to 2015. — VNS