Six-month foreign arrivals meet 69% of yearly target

About 975,010 foreign arrivals were reported in June alone, representing a rise of 6.4% over the previous month, the administration said on June 29.

Among the markets bringing visitors to Vietnam, the Republic of Korea (RoK) took the lead, followed by China, Taiwan (China), the United States, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand and Australia.

A large number of Korean stars chose Vietnam as their summer travel destination in June, and Da Nang and Nha Trang were their favourite choices.

Markets that recorded the highest growth were the US (up 52%), Norway (up 51%), Singapore (up 48%), Laos (up 25%), Taiwan-China (up 21%), RoK (up 15%), and Philippines (up 10%).

International visitors flying to Vietnam accounted for 86% of the total, while those traveling by road made up more than 13%.

With the impressive growth, an official of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism expects the tourism industry is likely to beat the 2023 target of welcoming eight million foreign visitors.

His comment is not groundless, especially after the National Assembly recently passed a bill extending the e-visa validity to 90 days instead of 30 days as at present.

During their approved duration, foreigners will be able to enter and exit the nation multiple times, without having to go through new visa procedures.

Foreigners who are subject to visa exemption will duly be granted a temporary residence certificate at international border gates which will be valid for 45 days, as opposed to the current period of 15 days. In addition, they will be considered for visa issuance and temporary residence extension according to regulations.

The new visa policy is anticipated to provide fresh impetus for the tourism industry when the peak international tourism season arrives at the end of the year.