Ho Chi Minh City has been selected as one of the world’s safest cities by a noted British newspaper.

Known as Vietnam’s economic hub, the city ranks 48th on a list of 50 cities considered the safest in the world recently released by The Economist.

The list, called Safe Cities Index 2015, is an Economist Intelligence Unit report, according to the British magazine, which noted that the index "measures the relative level of safety of a diverse mix of the world’s leading cities."

"The Index focuses on 50 cities ... selected by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), based on factors such as regional representation and availability of data. Therefore, it should not be considered a comprehensive list of the world’s safest cities (ie, a city coming number 50 in the list does not make it the most perilous place to live in the world)," it added.

The report is built on an index comprising more than 40 quantitative and qualitative indicators, which are split across four thematic categories: digital security, health security, infrastructure safety, and personal safety.

Each category has three to eight sub-indicators, which are divided between inputs, such as policy measures and levels of spending, and outputs, such as the frequency of vehicular accidents, the report reads.

Topping the ranking is Tokyo, the world’s most populous city.

The Japanese capital performs most strongly in the digital security category, three points ahead of Singapore, which is in second place.

Meanwhile, Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, is at the bottom of the list and preceded by the Iranian capital of Tehran.

According to estimates released by the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, the city has received over 412,000 international tourist visits in January, an 8 percent year-on-year increase.

Its January tourism revenue has topped VND7.79 trillion (US$363.03 million,) up seven percent compared to the same period last year.

The city strives to welcome a total of 4.7 million international tourist visits and earn VND98.2 trillion ($4.58 billion) in turnover this year.

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