More than 2.3 million international travelers visited Vietnam in the first ten months of 2022, an 18.8-fold surge over the same period last year.

Ha Giang Province is one of the famous tourist destinations in Vietnam. Photo: Pham Hung/ The Hanoi Times

According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO), the figure met half of the five-million target for this year.

In October, the number of international arrivals rose by 12.1% from the previous month to 484,000 and 45.9 times higher than the same period last year.

South Korea topped Vietnam's largest source markets, with more than 130,000 travelers, followed by the United States (41,000), Thailand (31,000) and other Southeast Asian countries. 

The inbound segment showed poor performances due to some factors, such as the slow recovery of tourism in China and Russia, and the fact that some Northeast Asian countries (Japan and South Korea) have applied tough pandemic prevention and control measures. 

The absence of Vietnam tourism promotion offices abroad and the low season for international tourism also added to the slow recovery, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Hanoi's tourism performance so far this year

Growth in the city’s tourism revenue is up five times compared to the same period last year. Photo: Khanh Huy/ The Hanoi Times

During January-October, tourism revenue stood at an estimated VND19.7 trillion ($793.5 million), 3.9 times higher compared to the same period of 2021.

Hanoi, Danang, Can Tho have contributed significantly to the increase in tourism revenue during the period.

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the city’s tourism earned some US$1.7 billion in the first ten months of 2022, a five-fold increase over the same period last year. 

The number of arrivals to the city was estimated 15.38 million during the period.

As the peak season for inbound tourists falls from September this year to April next year, the city is expected to fulfill the city’s annual target for 2022, with about 1-1.2 million international arrivals.

The municipal Tourism Department plans to organize new tourist programs and cultural and leisure events to attract more tourists to the capital between now and the end of the year.

The department has built a plan for large-scale cultural and tourism events in the fourth quarter of 2022, including 'Hanoi Golf Tourism Week 2022', 'Hanoi Ao Dai Festival', and 'Hanoi Tourism Ambassadors and Song Contest'.

The city also focuses on developing inter-provincial services to attract international visitors, including a religious tour from the Perfume Pagoda in Hanoi to Tam Chuc Pagoda in Ha Nam Province and then to Bai Dinh Religious Tourism Complex in Ninh Binh Province. Hanoi has also launched tours from Hanoi to the mountainous provinces of Lai Chau, Ha Giang, Hoa Binh and Son La provinces.