Vietnam's nine-month international tourist arrivals exceed 2023 total

There were 1.27 million international visitors to Vietnam in September, according to data from the General Statistics Office.

This marks a slight decline from the August number which saw 1.43 million arrivals.

In the third quarter of this year, international visitors to Vietnam totaled over 3.8 million.

In the first nine months of the year, international visitors reached 12.7 million, jumping by 43% compared to last year's same period.

Air arrivals accounted for nearly 10.8 million, representing 84.9% of the total, and representing an increase of 38.7% year on year. Land arrivals reached nearly 1.8 million, accounting for 13.8%, up by 68.1%.

South Korea remained the largest source market in September, with over 355,000 visitors coming, followed by mainland China with more than 257,000 visitors. Other top markets included Taiwan, Japan and the United States.

India is also among the fastest growing markets to Vietnam, party thanks to high-profile events held by the Indian elites, and many promotion campaigns carried out in the South Asian country.

Overall, in the first nine months of the year, the lion's share of tourists to Vietnam is from Asia with over 10.12 million arrivals (up by 47.7% year on year), followed by Europe (over 1.4 million arrivals, up by nearly 40%), Americas (736,600 arrivals, up 7.9%), Oceania (391,300 arrivals, up by 25.8%), and Africa (38,800 arrivals, with the largest increase of 90.7% over the previous year).

Despite the decrease in visitor numbers in September, the tourism industry is determined to meet the goal of attracting 17-18 million international visitors this year, as the last three months are the peak season for international arrivals in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism carried out a tourism and cinema promotion program in the United States from Sept. 23 to 25, under the theme "Vietnam - A New Destination for World Cinema".

The program showcased Vietnam tourism destinations and filming location potential, attracting Hollywood studios to shoot films in Vietnam. These films are expected to generate international media attention, promoting tourism and attracting more visitors to the country.

"Based on these factors, the goal of welcoming 18 million international visitors this year is achievable," said Nguyen Le Phuc, Deputy Director of the National Tourism Administration of Vietnam.

Phuc also remarked that the tourism industry in the northern region is recovering fast from the impacts of typhoon Yagi hitting the country in early September.