Foreign tourist arrivals to Vietnam surges 46% in 8 months

Vietnam welcomed over 11.4 million tourist arrivals in the first eight months of this year, rising 45.8% year-on-year and exceeding the same period of pre-pandemic 2019 by 1%.

In August, the country drew nearly 1.43 million foreign travelers, up 24.5% month-on-month and 17.7% year-on-year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) added.

By region, Asia still topped the list of foreign visitors to Vietnam during the eight-month period, with nine million arrivals, up 51% year-on-year. Europe ranked second with 1.3 million (up 42.7%), followed by the Americas with 674,300 (up 7.8%) and Oceania with 346,500 (up 25.4%).

Regarding countries and territories, South Korea has been leading the tourist rush to Vietnam since the latter’s reopening in March 2022 following the pandemic, except for May when South Korea was overtaken by China.

South Korea made up the biggest share of 3.01 million in January-August, or 26.4%; followed by mainland China with 2.44 million (21.4%), Taiwan with 849,741 (7.4%), and the U.S. with 529,228 (4.6%).

In Jan-Aug, air travel was the most popular mode of transportation for foreign visitors to Vietnam, with nearly 9.7 million passenger arrivals (up 41% year-on-year).

The GSO attributed the tourist arrival growth to Vietnam’s favorable visa policies, increased tourism promotions, and international awards to the local tourism industry.

With such positive results, the country is on track to reach its goal of 18 million international visitors this year, remarked the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

At present, Vietnam unilaterally waives citizens from 13 countries from visa requirements, namely Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Belarus. They can stay for 45 days from the date of entry, regardless of passport types and entry purposes.