Summer expected to revitalize tourism in Vietnam

Vietnam is viewed as one of the most attractive destinations on earth this summer, aside from Japan, New Zealand, France and Italy, said international travel page Travel Off Path.

The U.S.-based website shows that searching and room booking rates recently were up 439% in the central coast city of Danang, 298% in Hanoi, and 219% in Ho Chi Minh City. The three cities are among Vietnam’s main travel hubs.

In the first quarter of 2023, the tropical nation welcomed around 2.7 million international tourists, 29.7 times higher than a year earlier. The period’s revenue from accommodation and catering services reached VND161 trillion ($6.9 billion). Particularly, the revenue of these services in Danang rose 73.5%, 43.1% for Quang Ninh province, 42.4% for Can Tho, 37.2% for HCMC, and Hanoi with 12.5%.

The revenue from travel services in Q1 was VND6.8 trillion ($291.8 million), 2.2 times higher than last year’s same period, as a wide range of cultural and tourism events and activities were held in the first three months.

Vietnam Tourism Association chairman Vu The Binh said turning cultural heritage sites into unique tourism products is necessary for tourism development as the sector is one of Vietnam’s bread earners.

To further stimulate tourism demand and lure more international tourists, the association and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism will co-organize the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2023 in Hanoi this month. "The event, themed Cultural Tourism, is expected to make tourism a vital part of the cultural industry, helping to preserve cultural heritages and bring Vietnam’s traditional and modern cultures to the world," Binh said.

As of late March, 50 provinces and cities in Vietnam and 15 countries had registered to join VITM 2023, with 450 booths.

The government is proposing the National Assembly grant e-visas to all nationals, and extend the e-visa from 30 days to three months which can be used once or more. Additionally, the temporary residence certificate issued at the border gate for tourists entering Vietnam will be valid for 45 days instead of 15 days.

Binh forecasts that if these visa policies are approved, Vietnam can reach the target of 8 million tourists in 2023. The country last year welcomed only 3.5 million international tourists, equal to 70% of the year target, according to official data. It was because of China’s ‘Zero-covid’ policy, Vietnam’s limited visa policy, and prolonged global economic headwinds.