Korean tourists: a "gold mine" for Vietnamese tourism to exploit

In recent years, the number of Korean tourists has surpassed the international tourist market to Vietnam thanks to the economic cooperation strategy between the two countries and the attraction of unique destinations and tourism products. This is a "gold mine" for Vietnamese tourism to exploit.

Korean tourists increasingly like to come to Vietnam

According to information from the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, the number of Korean tourists to Vietnam has recently achieved an average growth rate of 38% per year. In 2023, Korea was the largest market sending tourists to Vietnam with 3.6 million visitors. In the first 6 months of 2024 alone, the number of Korean tourists to Vietnam surpassed China to take the first place with 2.2 million visitors (accounting for 25.8%).

Explaining the reason for the “acceleration” of Korean tourists to Vietnam, tourism experts said that in recent years, the increasing number of Korean factories opening in Vietnam has helped Koreans know this place more. In addition, the visa exemption policy for Korean tourists is the top reason for making Vietnam a favorite destination.

Korean tourists visit Fansipan peak (Lao Cai). Photo: Hoai Nam

Vietravel Deputy General Director Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang shared that to attract Korean tourists, Vietnam has stepped up tourism promotion and marketing through many media campaigns. In addition, Korean reality TV shows have mentioned Vietnam many times.

“The program "Battle Trip" broadcast on KBS (one of the three largest TV stations in Korea) about the trip to Da Nang of two female artists Oh Hyun Kyung and Jung Si Ah helped this city lead the top 10 destinations loved by Korean audiences. This is one of the factors that motivates Koreans to travel to Vietnam" - Ms. Hoang gave an example.

Bamboo Airways General Director Luong Hoai Nam informed that due to the close geographical location, the cost of flying from Korea to Vietnam is "affordable", from 200-800 USD. Flights are also diverse with many different routes such as from Seoul to Hanoi, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang for tourists to choose from. This is one of the reasons why many Koreans choose Vietnam as their favorite tourist destination.

Korean tourists visit Hoi An. Photo: Hoai Nam

In fact, with the advantage of beautiful natural scenery and diverse culture with unique travel experiences, Vietnam has "retained" many Korean tourists. Special cuisine with pho noodles, bread, rice rolls, egg coffee is also a highlight attracting Korean tourists. These rustic dishes are even shared by many famous people in Korea on social networks, spreading the influence of Vietnamese cuisine to friends around the world.

Much work to do

According to experts, to attract Korean tourists to return to Vietnam, the tourism industry needs to upgrade service quality and promote the image of Vietnam and its people.

To attract Korean tourists to return to Vietnam, at a meeting with the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, Minister Counselor, Korean Embassy in Vietnam Park Jong Kyung proposed that the Vietnamese tourism industry should provide signs in Korean, thereby supporting tourists not to get lost in the process of exploring the landscape and historical sites. At the same time, establish a 24/7 hotline to support tourists, issue policies to support Korean tourists in particular and international tourists in general in case of lost passports, improve the process of reissuing passports for tourists...

Korean tourists visit Hanoi streets. Photo: Hoai Nam

From an expert perspective, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association Vu The Binh said that in order for Korean tourists to return to Vietnam many times, attractive tourism products alone are not enough, but require the tourism industry to invest strategically and take care of product operations to create consistency and resonance effects, thereby leveraging to increase the attractiveness of the destination.

“Thailand is a country that is considered very successful in terms of civilization, politeness and friendliness. At restaurants, hotels or night markets, tourists almost do not have to worry about being “ripped off”. Most of the service providers here are very friendly and professional. Or the service segment needs to be diverse, according to international standards, suitable for many different subjects. In particular, Vietnam needs to invest in unique and novel tourism models closely linked to indigenous culture and the natural environment” - Mr. Binh suggested.

According to the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), although Vietnam tourism is gradually attracting international visitors, including South Korea, there are still not many places for tourists to spend money.

Many tourists said that they mostly come to Vietnam just to sightsee, swim, walk, and take photos. At tourist destinations, there are still not many places and services for tourists to have fun, relax, and shop. Some places have improved the situation by opening more facilities and services for visitors to experience, but it is still not attractive enough, making it difficult to attract visitors to come back a second time.

Hoi An's 7-acre water coconut forest attracts Korean tourists to experience and explore. Photo: Hoai Nam

To attract visitors back, localities and destinations need to expand and provide additional services such as large-scale shopping malls. Craft villages in the process of producing handicrafts and fine arts should produce according to the needs of tourists instead of just supplying the market with purely products from craft villages that are difficult to attract shoppers.

Chairman of the Da Nang Tourism Association Cao Tri Dung acknowledged that tourists often tend to look for new markets to replace the destinations they have visited. The current general trend is that tourists often travel alone or in families rather than in groups, so the tourism industry of provinces and cities should invest in new tourism products with many types of services, especially night services, so that tourists can experience more.

“The tourism industry should launch a strategy to attract Korean tourists who have visited Vietnam by calling on the tourism, service and resort business community to have gratitude programs and discount incentives for Korean tourists who return to Vietnam for the second or third time...” - Mr. Dung suggested.

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