The number of international visitors to Vietnam in January totaled over 871,000, an increase of 23.2 per cent compared to December and 44.2 times higher than in January last year, according to the General Statistics Office.

South Korea was the largest source market, with an estimated 258,946 tourists, followed by the US with an estimated 77,897 and Thailand with 54,985.

Tourism revenue in the month was estimated at VND2.2 trillion ($93 million), up 113.4 per cent year-on-year.

General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Trung Khanh told the Nhan Dan (People) newspaper that travel experts around the world have forecast that 2023 will see strong growth in international travel demand, including to Vietnam.

2023 will see many breakthroughs in both visitor numbers and revenue, he said.