Vietnam welcomes nearly 6 mln foreigners in first 6 months

The number of foreigners visiting Vietnam in January-June was nearly 5.6 million, up 9.3 times year-on-year, but just 66.7% of the same period in pre-pandemic 2019.

South Korea was the largest source market with over 1.6 million arrivals, nearly 80% of the same period in 2019, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

In June, Vietnam welcomed 975,010 international arrivals, up 6.4% from the previous month. The 10 largest tourism feeder markets in June were: South Korea, mainland China, Taiwan, the U.S., Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, and Australia.

The biggest increases in visitor numbers from May to June were from: the U.S. (52%); Norway (51%); Singapore (48%); Laos (25%); Taiwan (21%); South Korea (15%); and the Philippines (10%). Meanwhile, the markets with reduced visitor numbers compared to May 2023 were: France (41%); Hong Kong (37%); Belgium (33%); Italy (31%); Canada (31%); Switzerland (28%); Netherlands (27%); Indonesia (25%); and Denmark (22%).

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said that the data show a faster rate of recovery in Vietnam compared to other countries in the region.

Going by market trends, the country also has a good opportunity for even more foreign visitors in the near future, it said in a recent report.

"Two of its major sources of tourism merit attention. The number of South Korean tourists has recovered to 80% of the pre-pandemic level, but the ratio stands at only 35% for Chinese tourists. Fortunately, there are signs of further easing in the supply side of bottlenecks.

“For one, Vietnam has restored direct flights with China to around 40% of 2019 figures, the second highest in ASEAN, just after Singapore (53%)," according to an HSBC Vietnam report released June 19.

"Meanwhile, the long-anticipated relaxation on visa restrictions is under consideration by the National Assembly. With efforts to boost tourism, Vietnam will likely see a punchier boost in Q4/23, though later than our original estimates," the report said.