HO CHI MINH CITY, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- An international travel expo will take place here from Sep. 7 to 9, with the attendance of 300 Vietnamese and foreign travel companies from 18 countries and regions, its organizers announced Wednesday.

Themed "Your Gateway to Tourism in Asia," the expo is attracting travel firms from various countries including China, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Britain and the United States.

In the first eight months of this year, Vietnam welcomed roughly 8.5 million international arrivals, up 29.7 percent year-on-year, with the highest growth of 51.4 percent in the number of visitors from China, followed by South Korea and Russia, said the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.