Vietnam receives 10.7 million foreign arrivals in first six months

The number of foreign visitors to Vietnam in the first half of this year reached 10.7 million, up 20.7% year-on-year but still lower than Thailand’s 16.6 million.

Mainland China remained the top source market during the January-June period, with 2.72 million arrivals, a 44% year-on-year increase, followed by South Korea (2.2 million), Taiwan (629,000), the U.S. (449,000), and Japan (393,000), according to the General Statistics Office.

The rest of the top 10 were Cambodia (360,000), India (337,000), Australia (275,000), Malaysia (266,000) and Russia (259,000).

Russia posted the highest growth during the six-month period, with arrivals surging 239% year-on-year thanks to the resumption of direct flights after a long time of suspension due to the war in Ukraine.

Tourism experts attributed Vietnam’s strong performance to favorable visa policies, expanded promotional campaigns, and a series of events held to celebrate major national holidays.

The first half also witnessed a slew of changes in visa policies as Vietnam races to compete with regional neighbors in tourism race.

Starting March 1 Vietnam waived visas for tourists from Poland, Czechia and Switzerland coming on package tours for up to 45 days.

In mid-March the government also decided to extend visa exemptions until 2028 for citizens of 12 countries: Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the U.K.

The waiver had expired on March 15.

By Hoang Phong – VnExpress.net – July 4, 2025