Korean tourists represent 26.5% of 12.7mn foreign arrivals in Vietnam in January-September

Vietnam welcomed over 12.7 million international tourists in January-September, with South Korea remaining the largest source market sending 3.3 million arrivals, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

Citing the VNAT, the Vietnam News Agency reported a 43 percent year-on-year increase in foreign arrivals between January and September.

The nine-month period saw 10.8 million come by air, accounting for 84.9 percent of the total and marking a rise of 38.7 percent from the same period last year.

Visitors arriving by road and sea totaled approximately 1.8 million and 165,700, accounting for 13.8 percent and 1.3 percent of the total, respectively.

South Korea led the surge in tourism, contributing 3.3 million arrivals (26.5 percent), followed by mainland China with 2.7 million visitors (21.3 percent).

Other significant sources of tourists included Taiwan (954,000), the United States (579,000), Japan (529,000), and Malaysia (357,000).

Australia, India, Cambodia, and Thailand also made Vietnam’s top 10 tourism source markets.

Over the nine months, Asia occupied the largest share of international travelers to Vietnam, with over 10.12 million arrivals, up 47.7 percent since 2023.

It was followed by Europe (1.4 million), the Americas (736,600), Oceania (391,300), and Africa (38,800).

With the sharp growth of international visitors, the tourism sector earned more than VND45 trillion (US$1.82 billion) from January to September, another jump from last year at 16.7 percent.

This surge in tourism is partly attributed to Vietnam’s unilateral visa exemption policy for entrants with a temporary stay of up to 45 days, effective from August 15, 2023, according to the VNAT.

In addition, the VNAT has effectively implemented a series of tourism promotion programs in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and South Korea.

Several Vietnam-based travel firms have received prestigious awards from international organizations for attracting visitors, according to the General Statistics Office.

The VNAT highlighted that most of Vietnam’s tourist source markets have fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, even recording sharp growth rates compared to the same period in 2019.

With such positive results, the VNAT forecast a continuation of dramatic growth in Vietnam, fulfilling the 2024 tourism target of 17-18 million arrivals with ease in the remaining months of the year.

By Vinh Tho – Tuoi Tre News – October 8, 2024