South Korea continued to be its largest source of visitors, with 417,000 Koreans coming in January, followed by mainland China (242,000), Taiwan (84,000) and the U.S. (75,000), according to the General Statistics Office.

Foreign visitors at Thao Dien night street zone in HCMC, January 2024.

Australia surpassed Japan to become the fifth largest source with 62,000 visitors.

Japan (60,000) was followed by Malaysia (48,000), India (46,000), Thailand (40,000), and Cambodia (37,000).

Vietnam received 12.6 million foreign arrivals last year, only 70% of the pre-pandemic number.

The tourism industry hopes for 18 million visitors this year, the same as in 2019, the year before Covid-19 broke out.

Then, China had been the top source of visitors.

Hotel booking data from online travel platform Agoda reveals South Koreans will also top the list of visitors during the Lunar New Year holidays in early February, followed by Chinese.

Meanwhile, Thailand has witnessed the return of Chinese tourists in the new year. The two countries have mutually waived visas with effect from March.

Vietnam wraps up 2023 with 12.6 million foreign visitors

Vietnam received 12.6 million international visitors this year, up 3.4 times against the previous year but only around 70% of pre-pandemic times.

Vietnam a leading destination for French visitors: French daily

Despite belt tightening as a result of gloomy global economic situation, French could not give up their travel temptation. Vietnam, along with Japan and Thailand, was the top choice for French vacationers during Christmas holiday, according to French daily Le Figaro.

Vietnam meets 2023 target of foreign visitors

The total number of international tourists in 2023 is estimated at 12.5 million, meeting the target of 12.5-13 million international arrivals, it was reported at a workshop on management of the tourism sector in the new situation held by the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) in Hanoi on December 21.

Central Vietnam cave reopens to visitors after three years

After a three-year closure, Tien Son Cave at Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in central Vietnam is set to reopen on Dec. 21, following a comprehensive upgrade and facility repairs.

New visa policy makes Vietnam more attractive to foreign visitors

Vietnam welcomed more than 11.2 million foreign visitors in the first 11 months of 2023 and a record 1.23 million in November alone. Such figures are due in no small part to the country’s new visa policy that came into effect in August.

Source: VnExpress