Sightseeing: Visitors at the former Imperial Palace in Hue . — VNS Photo Phuoc Buu

THUA THIEN-HUE (VNS) — The central city of Hue yesterday welcomed the 1,000,000th visitor to its royal monuments this year.

The visitor, Ha Noi resident Ho Mai Phuong, received a free room for two days at a local four-star hotel and became a lifetime visitor to Hue's monuments, meaning she could visit them free of charge.

According to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre, a total of 1,068,874 visitors came to the former royal capital in the first six months of the year, including 500,399 foreigners. The centre received VND74 billion (US$3.4 million) in revenue, an increase of 11.3 per cent over the same period last year.

In July, the centre will introduce two new services for tourists: a cruise on the Huong (Perfume) River on a royal style boat and a stage for traditional music performances in Tu Phuong Vo Su pavilion inside the former Imperial Palace. — VNS