The Government News on May 28 quoted the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) as announcing that some 233,800 Vietnamese people visited Japan during January-April this year.

According to figures from the JNTO, the number of Vietnamese visitors to Japan in March reached a new record of 67,000, up 41% compared to the same month of 2019 and representing a year-on-year rise of 25.6%.

Last year, the number of Vietnamese tourists to Japan reached a new record of 573,900, making Viet Nam one of Japan's top tourist source markets.

Vietnamese holiday-makers are keen to travel to Japan to discover cherry blossom season between late March and mid-April. They can also contemplate flowers bloom in some areas until late May.

Furthermore, tourists from major cities in Vietnam can easily fly directly to localities around Japan such as Kagoshima, Kagawa, and Fukishima prefectures.

In return, more than 236,000 Japanese visited Vietnam in the first four months of this year, ranking 5th among top 10 tourist source markets of the country.

The two countries' tourist arrivals are expected to exceed the pre-pandemic figure of 1.5 million arrivals, thanks to increasingly relaxed travel policies, including Vietnam's recent move to extend the visa-free stay for Japanese tourists to 45 days, and the Japanese government’s decision to add Vietnam to a list of destinations highly recommended for travel agencies.