Groups of tourists visiting Saigon Central Post Office in District 1, HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The number of international tourists visiting Việt Nam increased significantly in 2024, reaching nearly 17.6 million arrivals, according to the latest data from the General Statistics Office.

Foreign visitors to Việt Nam in December 2024 hit 1.75 million, up 27.4 per cent compared to the same period last year.

The 17.6 million figure for the whole year represents a 39.5 per cent increase from the previous year and 97.6 per cent of the number of foreign tourists visiting Việt Nam in 2019 (about 18 million), before severe disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The General Statistics Office said 2024 saw a strong recovery of Việt Nam's tourism industry, with a marked increase in international arrivals. Favourable visa policies, along with enhanced tourism promotion and advertising programmes, have contributed to attracting international tourists. In addition, prestigious international tourism awards have also helped boost the image and attractiveness of Việt Nam on the world tourism map.

In terms of transportation, international visitors mainly come to Việt Nam by air, with more than 14.8 million arrivals, accounting for 84.4 per cent of the total number of international visitors and an increase of 35.6 per cent over the previous year. The number of visitors to Việt Nam arriving by road also recorded strong growth, reaching nearly 2.5 million arrivals, an increase of 63.3 per cent. Visitors arriving by sea also increased sharply by 96.7 per cent, reaching nearly 248,100 arrivals.

The statistics agency stated that these figures show the sustainable development of Việt Nam's tourism industry in 2024, creating solid momentum to attain the goal of welcoming a higher number of international visitors in the next few years.

Revenues from accommodation and catering services in 2024 are estimated at VNĐ733.9 trillion (US$28.9 billion), while revenue from tourism and travel in 2024 is estimated at VNĐ62.5 trillion ($2.45 billion).

The number of Vietnamese people going abroad in the fourth quarter of 2024 was 1.2 million, up 3.4 per cent over the same period last year. In 2024, overall, the number of Vietnamese citizens departing through Việt Nam's border gates was 5.3 million, up 5.5 per cent over 2023.

This year, the tourism industry aims to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels, welcoming at least 22 million international visitors and 120-130 million domestic visitors, while maintaining a domestic visitor growth rate of up to 9 per cent per year.

The industry also aims to directly contribute at least 6 per cent to GDP, with at least VNĐ980 trillion ($38.59 billion) in revenues, creating 5.5 million jobs, including 1.8 million direct jobs.

Top markets

Asian markets continue to make up the lion's share of the top markets sending tourists to Việt Nam.

South Korea led the international markets in 2024, with nearly 4.57 million arrivals, a more than 27 per cent increase from 2023.

China's market also saw a strong recovery, ranking second with nearly 3.74 million arrivals, a 114.4 per cent increase year-on-year. However, this figure still lags far behind 2019’s 5.8 million arrivals (nearly a third of the total number), due to an incomplete economic recovery and China's domestic policies that restrict outbound travel while focusing on attracting international tourists.

Taiwan (China) followed with nearly 1.29 million arrivals, a 51.4 per cent year-on-year increase, while the United States accounted for nearly 780,000 visitors and Japan reached 711,464.

Indian tourists to Việt Nam also rose significantly in 2024, totalling 501,427 arrivals, a nearly 28 per cent increase from the previous year.

Other top 10 markets included Malaysia with 495,383 arrivals, Australia with 490,880 and Cambodia with 474,580 visitors.

Thailand remained among the top markets for visitors to Việt Nam, with 418,054 arrivals in 2024. However, this represented only 85.5 per cent of the figure from 2023 (more than 489,000 arrivals). Meanwhile, the number of Vietnamese visitors to Thailand went up three times, totalling 1.03 million arrivals last year.

Previously, Thailand proposed an initiative to establish a shared visa region with Việt Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar, allowing international visitors to apply for a single visa that could gain them access to all six countries.

During a meeting with leaders of the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism on January 3, representatives from Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs outlined the "6 Countries, 1 Destination" initiative. It focuses on three key points: facilitating entry and exit procedures, promoting joint tourism development among the countries, and expanding and strengthening connectivity in transportation and tourism.

The initiative aims to support ASEAN countries in developing tourism, enabling travellers from various nations to move conveniently, offering new cross-border tourism products and boosting the number of visitors to the region. It targets potential markets such as the US, Europe and South Asia. — VNS