Asia's most loved country targets nearly 500,000 Vietnamese tourists this year

"2024 marked important milestones in efforts to promote Malaysian tourism in Vietnam, one of Malaysia's key markets, with positive results," Amirah Nadiah Mazlan, director of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Office in Vietnam, said at a recent event.

A year-end trend report from Google revealed that Malaysia was the most searched destination by Vietnamese people in 2024.

Malaysia has recently become a favorite destination for Vietnamese travelers, thanks to affordable airfares.

Malaysia Airlines currently operates a direct route from Da Nang to Kuala Lumpur with seven flights per week, while Vietjet has also launched a direct route from Hanoi to Kuala Lumpur with the same frequency.

Malaysia received 38 million visitor arrivals in 2024, including 13 million excursionists, marking a 31.1% year-on-year increase and an 8.3% rise compared to pre-Covids levels in 2019, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said.

Malaysia was named Asia's "most loved" country in 2024 by American finance website Insider Monkey.