Vietnam achieves highest post-pandemic tourism recovery rate in Southeast Asia
Tourism arrivals in Vietnam in 2024 recovered to 98% of pre-Covid levels, the highest in Southeast Asia, and this has been attributed to favorable visa policies.
Malaysia was second with a 94% recovery rate, followed by Thailand (88%), Singapore (86%), Indonesia (86%), and the Philippines (72%), the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said, citing data from the ASEAN Secretariat.
In 2024 Vietnam received 17.6 million foreign visitors, representing a 39.5% increase from the previous year and just short of the record 18 million in 2019, the year before the pandemic began.
« Favorable visa policies are a key driver in attracting foreign tourists, » the administration said, with its officials also attributing it to tourism promotion campaigns.
Vietnam currently waives visas for visitors from 25 countries. From August 2023, it issued three-month tourist visas to citizens from all countries and territories and tripled the duration of stay in Vietnam to 45 days for citizens of 13 countries unilaterally exempted from visas.
Last year, Vietnam also launched a new web portal, allowing foreign travelers to apply for e-visas in a more convenient way.
Vietnam targets 22–23 million international visitors in 2025.
By Hoang Phong – VnExpress.net – February 3, 2025