Foreign tourists visit Ho Chi Minh City's Central Post Office. (Photo: VNA)
Favourable visa policies, stronger tourism promotion programmes, and winning several prestigious international tourism awards have all contributed to drawing more foreign visitors to the country.
In October 2024, international arrivals to Vietnam reached 1.42 million, a slight increase compared to the figure of 1.3 million in September and a 27.6% increase compared to the same period last year.
The numbers are expected to grow, with the peak season for international tourists, especially ones from European countries, usually lasting from October to March.
Of the total 14.1 million figure, nearly 12 million arrived by air, accounting for 84.8% of the total, marking a 36.9% increase year-on-year. Almost 2 million arrived in Vietnam by road, up 13.9% and a 65.7% increase, respectively.
Composition-wise, Asian markets contributed nearly 80% of the total arrivals. Four markets – the Republic of Korea, China, Taiwan (China) and Japan -accounted for nearly 60 %.
In the first 10 months of 2024, the RoK was Vietnam's largest source of tourists, with 3.7 million visitors (26.4%). China is in second place with 3.0 million visitors (21.3%). Following these are visitors from Taiwan (China), the US, Japan, Australia, India, Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand.
While most destinations recorded growth compared to 2023 - China (up 130.4%), the RoK (up 28.5%), Japan (up 24.8%), Taiwan (up 59.4%), India (up 29.1%), Australia (up 23.7%), while visitors from Thailand declined by 13.3 %.
European markets also saw positive growth, including key markets like the UK (up 20.4 %), France (up 30.5 %) and Germany (up 23.6 %). While Italy (up 54.5 %), Spain (up 23.3 %), Russia (up 81.5 %), Denmark (up 21.7 %), Norway (up 16.2 %), and Sweden (up 24.9 %).
These markets benefit from a unilateral visa exemption policy for stays of up to 45 days, implemented from August 15, 2023.
Overall, tourism revenues in the first ten months hit 690 trillion VND (27.18 billion USD)./.
