Foreign tourists walking in the Hoàn Kiếm Lake pedestrian area on April 30, 2022. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tùng

HÀ NỘI — April international arrivals in Việt Nam soared to 2.4 times that of March and 5.2 per cent higher than the same period last year thanks to the country’s tourism reopening, according to the General Statistics Office of Việt Nam (GSO).

In the first four months of the year, the number of foreigners arriving in Việt Nam neared 192,400, an annual rise of 184.7 per cent. Of the total, 88.6 per cent came by air, increasing close to four times from 2021, while arrivals by road and sea were down by 10.5 and 58.7 per cent, respectively.

Tourism revenue from lodging-food and transport services grew by 5.2 per cent and 10.5 per cent on-year, respectively.

In May, Việt Nam will host the 31st Southeast Asian Games with the participation of all the 11 regional countries that are sending large delegations of athletes, officials and reporters.

Ramping up related communications preparations, the Việt Nam National Administration of Tourism considers the tournament the first big event of the region after two years being impacted by COVID-19.

It has urged the entire sector to spare no efforts toward the overall success of the Games and the regional and global promotion of Việt Nam’s image. — VNS