Tourism makes hopeful start as January visitor numbers rise by 23%

It was 42% down from January 2019, the year before the onset of Covid.

South Korea continued to be Vietnam’s biggest feeder market with 258,946 arrivals followed by the U.S. (77,897) and Thailand (54,985), according to the General Statistics Office.

Though China reopened its borders on January 8, the number of Chinese visitors was a modest 15,875.

During the seven-day Tet break that ended last Thursday, popular travel destinations like Ha Long, Hoi An, Ninh Binh, Hanoi, and Vung Tau saw an influx of foreign visitors.

The country only received 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, but revenues were worth VND495 trillion (US$21 billion), or 23% above the target as a domestic tourism boom took up the slack.