Vietnamese tourists can travel to Japan in the form of package tours and on their own via travel agencies from September 7, marking the country's start of easing border controls for travelers after a two-year hiatus of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Passengers on Vietjet's first flight to Nagoya and Fukuoka in July. Photo: Vietjet

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) representative office in Vietnam made the announcement on September 5 on its website. 

On the occasion of Japan's reopening for Vietnamese tourists, the Japanese office also launched a campaign with the message IT'S TIME FOR JAPAN "OKAERI" to widely promote the relaunch of Japanese tourism after about two years and five months, the office said.

Sharing about this upcoming event, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio, said that welcoming back tourists after more than two years of disruption is a major turning point representing the post-Covid-19 period. 

“We are pleased to welcome Vietnamese tourists back to Japan at the time we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam next year – 2023,” he underlined.

Kenji Yoshida, Head of the JNTO’s representative office in Vietnam, said that many promotional activities will be carried out in the coming time to celebrate the  50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan - Vietnam in January 2023.

Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said: "I highly applaud Japan for reopening to international tourism and welcoming Vietnamese arrivals. Japan is one of the ideal foreign travel destinations for many Vietnamese, so our travelers are excited and ready to book their next trip to Japan." 

In the near future, when tourism between Vietnam and Japan no longer faces any barriers, he considered that bilateral tourism eaxchange and promotion activities will recover strongly, and the number of tourists from the two countries is expected to exceed 1.5 million as before the pandemic.

According to the JNTO, the number of Vietnamese arrivals to Japan was 127,600 from January-July, up 479.5% compared to the same period of 2021. The figure was 22,700 in only July, an increase of 5,735% year on year.

Especially, Japanese tourists love world heritage sites such as Hoi An Ancient Town or Ha Long Bay, besides favorite destinations such as Sa Pa, Phu Quoc Island, Ban Gioc Waterfall, Phong Nha - Ke Bang national park, and Con Dao Island.

The JNTO Vietnam Office regularly posts information about Japan's tourism and information on entry procedures related to Covid-19 on its website and social networks.

Established in Hanoi in 2017, the JNTO last year published a handbook for Vietnamese travelers to self-organize trips to Japan and launched the “I love Japan” campaign to promote Japanese tourism among Vietnamese people.