Vietnam hosts 3.04 mln foreign arrivals in Jan-Feb, S Korea biggest source

Vietnam welcomed 3.04 million foreign arrivals in the year to February 20, up 64.1% year-on-year, the General Statistics Office reported.

South Korea accounted for the biggest portion of 844,082, or 27.73%; followed by mainland China with 537,661 (17.66%); Taiwan with 198,328 (6.52%); and the U.S. with 155,780 (5.12%).

In terms of year-on-year growth, mainland China recorded the fastest pace of 658.3%, followed by Taiwan with 120%, and Indonesia with 116.3%.

In the two-month period, aviation was the most popular transportation service, bringing 2.56 million foreign passengers to Vietnam, or 84.25% of the total; followed by road traffic with 211,719, or 12.77%; and sea routes with 90,688, or 2.98%.

The GSO attributed the performance to the country’s tourism promotions, well-prepared programs for the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, and more favorable visa policies. However, the figure was equivalent to 98.5% of that in pre-pandemic 2019.

The two-month strong performance can help the tourism sector meet the target of hosting 18 million foreign tourists this year, the national tourism administration said.