Foreign visitor number increases by 38 pct in August

By Hoang Phong August 29, 2022 | 07:45 pm PT

Foreign tourists drink beer on Bui Vien pedestrian street in downtown HCMC, August 2022. Photo by Tung Tin

The number of foreign visitors in August increased by 38% from the previous month to 486,400 as the tourism industry continued to recover.

South Koreans topped the list at 173,000 followed by Americans (139,000) and Cambodians (82,000), according to the General Statistics Office.

So far this year the country has received 1.44 million foreign tourists, only 28 percent of the full-year target.

Tourism revenues during the January-August period reached VND356.6 trillion ($15.2 billion), 80 percent of revenues gained from the same period in 2019, the year before Covid-19 hit, according to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

With the numbers still not meeting expectations, the administration has urged the government to consider expanding the list of eligible countries for visa waiver and doubling visa-free stays for tourists from western European countries to 30 days.

The government is considering issuing e-visas to nationals of more countries.

It now issues 30-day single-entry visas online to people from 80 countries and territories, including Australia, India, the U.K., and the U.S.