Vietnam 1Q foreigner arrivals a third of entire 2023 target

Mar 30, 2023 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck  

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The tally of arrivals to Vietnam by foreign visitors leapt year-on-year within the first quarter, already reaching about one-third of the country’s previously-announced 2023 target of 8 million. That is according to data posted by the country’s General Statistics Office, even before the final day of the quarter.

Based on the information from the statistics office, within the first quarter Vietnam had nearly 2.70 million foreigner arrivals. That was 29.7 times higher – or 2,045.2 percent greater – than the same period a year earlier.

Of those, most – just over 2.42 million – came by air; with 241,900 by road; and 33,700 by sea.

Of the aggregate of Vietnam’s first-quarter arrivals this year, just under 1.94 million – or 71.9 percent – were from elsewhere in Asia.

Vietnam has a casino industry, with all but one of the venues open only to foreigners.

The country eased a number of entry conditions as early as March last year, one of the first Southeast Asian nations to try to normalise travel post-Covid-19. Vietnam received 3.6 million foreign tourists last year, around 20 percent of the pre-pandemic figure.

Recently it was announced that holders of passports from certain countries, currently entitled to a single-entry, one-month eVisa for Vietnam, might see eVisa duration-of-stay extended to three months, reported local news outlet VnExpress. Such a proposal has been tabled by the Vietnam government, and is due to be discussed in May at the National Assembly.

Several Vietnamese air carriers were to resume flights between that country and cities in mainland China during March, the same news outlet recently reported.

In the autumn, Vietnam and China agreed to promote bilateral cooperation against “cross-border gambling” among a number of law enforcement topics.

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