10 largest international tourist markets in Vietnam

The top 10 international tourist markets to Vietnam in the first 5 months of this year have changed compared to before the pandemic, with South Korea in the lead while mainland China is second.

According to data from the General Statistics Office, the 10 largest international tourist markets in Vietnam currently include: South Korea, mainland China, the US, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Australia, and Singapore. In the first 5 months of the year, Vietnam welcomed nearly 4.6 million international visitors, an increase of 13 times over the same period last year and equal to 63% compared to 2019. Of which, the 10 largest tourist markets reached more than 3.3 million, accounting for 71% of the total number of visitors.

The top 10 list has changed before and after the pandemic. Before 2019, Russia, the UK or France were often on the list of countries with the highest number of visitors to Vietnam. After the pandemic, the European market left the top, replaced by Cambodia and Singapore. The unstable economic and political situation in Europe after the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 greatly affected the travel of this customer group.

"Customers do not travel far and for long periods like before the pandemic," said Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Deputy General Director of Vietravel Tourism Company.

Before the pandemic, China was the largest tourist market in Vietnam, accounting for about 30% of total visitors. In 2019, Vietnam welcomed 18 million visitors, of which China contributed 5.8 million. After the pandemic, South Korea rose to become the largest tourist market with 1.3 million visitors, followed by China. However, while other markets in the top 10 recorded a decrease in visitors in May, including South Korea, Chinese visitors are growing.

Marketing and Communications Director of Vietluxtour travel company Tran Thi Bao Thu said the number of Chinese tourists has been increasing steadily due to many factors such as the "residual" demand for foreign travel during the epidemic.

Reasonable travel costs, direct flights with short routes, delicious food, and beautiful beaches are also factors that make Chinese tourists choose Vietnam for their post-Covid-19 travel plans. According to market predictions, the number of mainland tourists will increase sharply from early summer to the end of the third quarter.

A group of Chinese tourists took a souvenir photo at the Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office on March 17. Photo: Bich Phuong

Chairman of the Hanoi Tourism Association Phung Quang Thang said that to continue attracting visitors to be in the top 10, the Vietnamese tourism industry needs to have a specific strategy, clearly defining the goals and customer segments of each market, from which to study the habits and preferences of each customer group to come up with appropriate strategies.

"We can focus on a certain customer market and launch customer attraction campaigns to create a big buzz. Customers from other markets will also be interested and come more," said Mr. Thang.

In addition, Vietnam needs to carefully study the strengths and weaknesses of competing destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia to draw lessons for itself in attracting tourists. It is necessary to promote and advertise tourism with Northeast Asian countries, create unique products that attract the Southeast Asian market, and develop a strategy to attract European and American tourists for 2024 because this group of tourists often plan their trips 6-12 months in advance.

In addition to the 10 markets mentioned above, according to Ms. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Vietnam also needs to focus on exploiting new destinations such as India and the Middle East. Mr. Truong Quoc Hung, Chairman of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club, once said that this is a "new and difficult but attractive market because customers spend a lot" and needs to "hit their taste" to attract them.

Phuong Anh

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