Jan-Sep tourist arrivals to Vietnam surges 43% to exceed 2023 tally

Vietnam attracted over 12.7 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first nine months of this year, up 43% year-on-year and surpassing the total number of 2023 by 100,000, according to the latest data by the General Statistics Office (GSO).

In September, the country welcomed nearly 1.3 million international travelers, up 20.9% year-on-year but down 11.9% from August as some major northern destinations were hit hard by super typhoon Yagi.

By region, Asia still topped the list of foreign visitors to Vietnam during the nine-month period, with 10.1 million arrivals, up 47.7% year-on-year. Europe ranked second with 1.4 million (up 39.3%), followed by the Americas with 736,600 (up 7.9%) and Oceania with 391,300 (up 25.8%).

Regarding countries and territories, South Korea has been the leading source market for Vietnam’s travel sector 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 3.3 million in January-September, or 26.5%; trailed by mainland China with 2.7 million (21.3%), Taiwan with 954,000, and the U.S. with 579,000.

During the spell, air travel was the most popular mode of transportation for foreign visitors to Vietnam, with nearly 10.8 million passenger arrivals (up 38.7% 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, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism noted.

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.