Vietnam hosts 1.5 mln foreign arrivals in Jan, Korea, China biggest sources

Vietnam welcomed 1.51 million foreign arrivals from December 21, 2023 to January 20, 2024, up 73.6% year-on-year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said Monday.

South Korea accounted for the biggest portion of 417,576, or 27.6% of the total; followed by mainland China with 242,181, or 16%; Taiwan with 84,213, or 5.6%; the U.S. with 75,651, or 5%; and Australia with 62,100, or 4.1%.

In terms of year-on-year growth, mainland China recorded the fastest pace of 1,425.5%, followed by Taiwan with 168.8%, Indonesia with 119.7%, and Italy with 101%.

In January, aviation was the most popular transportation service, bringing 1.3 million foreign passengers to Vietnam, or 85.1% of the total; followed by road traffic with 176,900, or 11.7%; and sea routes with 48,400, or 3.2%.

The GSO attributed the strong performance to Vietnam’s tourism promotion efforts, with a focus on promoting Vietnam as a safe destination.

Vietnam welcomed 12.6 million foreign tourists in 2023, up 240% year-on-year, according to the GSO. The 2023 figure significantly exceeded the set target of eight million, but was still just 70% of pre-pandemic 2019, it said.

Total 2023 tourism revenues reached VND678 trillion ($27.94 billion), 4.3% above the target, as the industry served 108 million domestic travelers alongside the 12.6 million foreign arrivals, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.