Vietnam to likely welcome 13 million foreign visitors in 2023

Vietnam attracted almost 8.9 million foreign visitors in the first nine months of 2023

Exceeding the target

In the first nine months of 2023, Vietnam attracted almost 8.9 million foreign visitors, 4.7 times that in the same period last year and 11 percent more than the 2023 target, said Deputy Head of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) Pham Van Thuy.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) continued to be the largest tourism market of Vietnam in the nine months with nearly 2.6 million visitors (accounting for 29 percent of all foreign visitors welcomed by Vietnam in the nine months), followed by China with more than one million visitors, Chinese Taipei 575,000, the US 548,000, and Japan 414,000 tourists.

The number of foreign visitors usually increased from October of one year to April in the following year, so the VNAT representative said Vietnam should increase its target.

Vietnam is expected to welcome 13 million foreign visitors in 2023 thanks to its visa exemption and electronic visa policies (taking effect from August 15, 2023); the country’s efficient bilateral and multilateral foreign policies; its culture revitalization and development policy (turning cultural heritage into unique, special and attractive tourist offerings to attract foreign visitors); and the large, traditional tourism markets’ recovery.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Doan Van Viet attributed Vietnam’s achievements in foreign visitor attraction to the world and regional tourism trends’ positive changes and Vietnam's new and open policies. The Government's Resolution 82 on tourism recovery, for example, has given a catalyst to the country’s tourism development. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will propose that the Government increase the 2023 target by more than 50 percent to 12.5-13 foreign visitors, Viet said.

Vietnam has become an ideal, attractive destination for foreign visitors - photo: VNA

Target markets

In the last quarter of this year, Vietnam's tourism industry will focus on effectively implementing the Government’s Resolution 82 to attract foreign visitors. VNAT will help organize meetings and dialogues to support tourism businesses to overcome difficulties in tourism promotion and foreign visitor attraction, especially in and to the country’s major tourist centers such as Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, and Ha Long.

The sector will further strengthen tourism promotion, especially in target markets. VNAT and tourism businesses are preparing for the World Travel Market (WTM) that will take place in London (UK) in November, and the 2023 China-ASEAN Expo Tourism Exhibition in October in Guilin (China). The US, Australia and India have also become promising tourism markets of Vietnam.

Vietnam has been diversifying its range of tourist offerings. It has had a plan to develop night economy and chosen 12 localities for this plan realization. Vietnam can develop golf-based and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism to attract more foreign visitors in the near future.