Vietnam welcomes 6.2 mln foreign arrivals in Jan-Apr, 3.9% above pre-pandemic level

Vietnam welcomed over 6.2 million foreign tourists in the first four months of this year, up 68.3% year-on-year, the General Statistics Office reported.

The figure exceeded the pre-pandemic level by 3.9%, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) stated, attributing the results to the tourism sector’s recovery and growth.

April saw 1.55 million international arrivals, up 58.2% year-on-year. The VNAT noted that the tally was impressive as April is normally a peak month for domestic tourism only.

South Korea remained the biggest source of foreign tourists in Vietnam with 1.6 million arrivals, or 25.8% of the total. Other major sources were mainland China with 1.25 million, Taiwan with 418,000, the U.S. with 301,000, and Japan with 235,000.

Aviation was the most popular mode of transportation for foreign visitors coming to Vietnam, with 5.2 million, or 83.7% of the total; followed by roads with 856,900 (13.8%) and waterways with 151,500 (2.5%).

The country hosted 40.5 million domestic travelers during the period.

Overall, tourism revenues reached VND271.4 trillion ($10.71 billion), up 38% year-on-year.

ADB highly rates Vietnam’s readiness for smart tourism

In its “Smart Tourism Ecosystem Development Readiness in Southeast Asia” report released in April, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) assessed the enabling environment and technological readiness of Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam to develop smart tourism ecosystems.

Notably, Vietnam recorded a score of 67, only behind Thailand with 72. The score for Indonedia was 66, the Philippines 56, Laos 53, and Cambodia 50.

An advantage of Vietnam is the average monthly cost to purchase Internet services. “The Philippines scored 20, indicating comparatively high costs, while Vietnam scored 100, indicating the most affordable internet access in the region,” the ADB noted.

“For mobile internet average speed, the regionwide average was 40. Vietnam stands out with relatively higher mobile internet speed, scoring 100,” the bank added.

Meanwhile, the ADB pointed out sectors for improvement in Vietnam, including narrowing the urban-rural digital divide, expanding smart tourism financing, increasing computer access and access to electronic payments, and improving digital talent availability.