Vietnam welcomed 8.9 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of 2023, a 4.7-fold increase year-on-year, figures from the General Statistics Office (GSO) show.

More than 1 million international tourists visited in September, down 13.4 per cent compared to August but up 2.4-fold year-on-year.

South Korea remained the largest tourism source market, with over 2.58 million tourists. It was followed by China, with more than 1.12 million, Taiwan (China) over 575,000, and the US nearly 549,000.

Tourism and travel revenue during the first nine months was estimated at VND26.5 trillion ($1.1 billion), up 47.7 per cent compared to the same period last year. The growth was attributed to increasing tourism demand post-pandemic and localities’ tourism promotion programs.

Localities recording high growth in tourism and travel revenue were central Da Nang city, at 139.9 per cent, northern Quang Ninh province 98.8 per cent, Ho Chi Minh City 91.3 per cent, Hanoi 67.4 per cent, and the northern port city of Hai Phong with 50.9 per cent.

The country targets welcoming 10-12 million foreign visitors this year.