The total number of international visitors to the country in the first ten months of 2023 reached nearly 10 million, exceeding the target of 8 million for the whole year.

The Republic of Korea remained the biggest source of visitors to Vietnam with 2.9 million holidaymakers, followed by China. The two markets accounted for 42% of the total number of tourists to Vietnam. The US ranked third while Taiwan (China) and Japan ranked fourth and fifth, respectively.

In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the top three markets were Thailand with 392,000 visitors, Malaysia with 372,000 tourists and Cambodia with 326,000 holidaymakers.

In Europe, three countries with the largest numbers of visitors to Vietnam were the UK, France and Germany.

VNAT attributed the higher-than-expected number of foreign tourist arrivals to Vietnam to efforts to develop new products, improve service quality and promotion activities.

The MoCST has adjusted the target of 8 million foreign tourists to 12 - 13 million for the whole 2023 to accelerate recovery and development of the tourism industry in an effective and sustainable manner.

VNAT has recently organised a tourism promotion programme within the framework of the Vietnam Cultural Tourism Promotion Festival in the RoK.

It was an annual event, reflecting the close cooperative relationship between the two countries, especially in the fields of tourism and culture. It offered an opportunity for Vietnam to introduce its traditional cultural identity and promote attractive destinations and tourism products to Korean tourists.

The programme created opportunities for Vietnamese and RoK investors and tourism businesses to meet, explore cooperation and business opportunities, and enhance two-way tourist exchanges./.VNA