In September, Vietnam welcomed 432,000 foreign tourists, down 11.2% from the previous month, according to the General Statistics Office. The recovery of tourism continues at a slow pace.
Between January and September 2022, the number of foreign tourists to Vietnam reached 1.87 million, 16.4 times the level recorded in the same period last year. However, this is still a decline from the pre-pandemic period in 2019.
South Koreans topped the list of visitors at 119,636, down 31% from August, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
Between January and September, the revenue of accommodation and food services increased by 54.7% with an estimated turnover of 431 trillion VND (over 18.5 million USD).
The goal of the authorities to reach five million arrivals is only equivalent to 30% of pre-pandemic levels, and tourism insiders remain worried that the strict visa policies will stymie the recovery. Vietnam now issues 30-day single-entry visas online to people from 80 countries and territories, including Australia, India, the U.K., and the U.S.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict and China's "zero Covid" policy have had a major impact on Vietnam's tourism recovery and numbers of foreign tourists as China and Russia used to be Vietnam's biggest markets before the pandemic.
The tourism authority continues to actively promote Vietnam's tourism to attract international visitors. Recently, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism coordinated with TikTok and the Vietnam Tourism Association to launch the "Greet Vietnam" campaign on the TikTok platform to help promote the sector.