International tourists are seen in downtown HCMC – PHOTO: DAT THANH

HCMC – Vietnam has seen nearly 10 million international tourists coming in the first seven months of this year, a 51% year-on-year surge and a 1.9% rise compared to the same period in the pre-Covid year 2019, according to data from the General Statistics Office.

In July alone, around 1.15 million foreign tourists have visited Vietnam, up by 10.9% versus the year-ago period.

With 10 million international visitors arriving between January and July, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism expects the country’s tourism industry to reach its goal of welcoming 17-18 million international visitors in all of 2024.

South Korea has remained the largest source market for Vietnam’s tourism so far this year, with nearly 2.6 million visitors, accounting for 26% of the total.

China comes in second, with 2.1 million visitors, making up 21.4% of the total. Together, these two markets have contributed nearly half of the total international visitors to Vietnam during this period.

Other major source markets include Taiwan, the U.S., Japan, Malaysia, and Australia.

Notably, despite being the low season for international tourism, the number of visitors from European markets in July has increased compared to the previous month. This trend is a positive signal for Vietnam’s tourism, indicating the country’s liberal visa policy and recent promotions have paid off.

The Saigon Times