HO CHI MINH CITY, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's Hong Kong and Vietnam are places where travelers should visit to get their first Asia experience, Vietnam News Agency on Friday quoted Canadian travel news site Mapped as reporting.

Hong Kong offers a more modern experience while Vietnam provides a more true and authentic taste of the Asian lifestyle, Mapped said.

Vietnam's rising star in the global tourism firmament over the last decade has been affirmed by its consistent ranking in global lists by big-name travel publications including The Guardian, CNN, Lonely Planet, TripAdvisor, and Rough Guides.

Vietnam welcomed 3.8 million Chinese visitors in the first nine months of this year, or 32.8 percent of the total international arrivals, posting a year-on-year surge of 29.7 percent, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Vietnam plans to receive 16-17 million foreign visitors and 78 million domestic ones, and gain tourism revenues of 27.5 billion U.S. dollars this year, said the administration.