Chinese visitors in Việt Nam. Chinese were Việt Nam’s top source of travelers in Lunar New Year. — Photo of Hanoimoi.com

HCM CITY — Mainland Chinese were Việt Nam’s top source of visitors during Lunar New Year, one of the peak travel periods in the Asia Pacific calendar, reported digital travel platform Agoda.

Agoda’s search data has revealed that, across the Lunar New Year period, searches from China of Việt Nam have almost entirely recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with 2024 interest at 95 per cent of 2020.

“According to Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism, in 2019, mainland Chinese were Việt Nam’s number one source of travellers, accounting for almost a third of total travellers coming into Việt Nam that year. Our search numbers for Tết this year coming just shy of pre-pandemic levels is promising news for Việt Nam’s tourism industry,” said Lâm Vũ, country director Vietnam at Agoda.

“Still, Việt Nam is also to be commended on its ability to widen its appeal to alternate origin markets - notably India and South Korea - since reopening with favourable visa restrictions. This diversification of visitors ultimately saw Việt Nam reach its initial 2023 total visitor target within the first three quarters of the year, according to the General Statistics Office. The resurgent interest of visitors from our northern neighbour provides a positive sign for visitor trends in the Year of the Dragon,” Vũ said.

In 2020, the strong affinity Chinese travellers held for Việt Nam’s rich cultural heritage and scenic landscapes led to China leading Việt Nam's inbound search tourism ranks. However, the onset of lockdowns in 2021 caused a plunge in Chinese visitors. Due to cautious border reopenings, 2022 and 2023 witnessed only 3 per cent of the 2020 search levels.

In 2024, Agoda insights show a near total rebound of accommodation searches from China to Việt Nam, with figures reaching 95 per cent of the 2020 figures during the Lunar New Year festivities.

This resurgence underscores the resilience of the travel industry and highlights the enduring appeal of Việt Nam as a premier destination for Chinese travellers, Agoda said.

This year, the travel landscape is seeing a slight shift with HCM City, Hà Nội, Nha Trang, Đà Nẵng, and enchanting Phú Quốc Island emerging as the top choices currently for Chinese travellers, compared to HCM City, Nha Trang, Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng, and Phan Thiết in 2020.

"We are thrilled to witness the return of Chinese traveller interest to Việt Nam," said Lâm Vũ. "Việt Nam's diverse attractions, coupled with its warm hospitality, continue to captivate the hearts of travellers worldwide."

According to the Việt Nam National Authority of tourism, the volume of tourists arriving in Việt Nam strongly surged during the first six days of Lunar New Year.

Room bookings by foreign visitors in many cities and provinces strongly increased by up to 40 per cent.

The authority said that provinces and cities actively co-operated with tourism travel operators and airlines to have many programmes to welcome tourists during the Lunar New Year. — VNS