The tourism sector has set a target of welcoming 12.5-13 million foreign tourists this year, a 156 per cent increase against the annual target set earlier in the year.

Over 1 million foreign tourists visited Vietnam in September, bringing the total number in the first nine months to 8.9 million, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Director of the Ministry’s Department of National Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh said the country welcomed over one million international holidaymakers each month in the third quarter. It is therefore predicted to welcome 1.1-1.2 million foreign visitors in the remaining months of the year.

“It is possible for the tourism sector to welcome some 4 more million foreign tourists in the fourth quarter,” he said.

Economic expert Nguyen Bich Lam, former Head of the General Statistics Office, said recent changes in visa policies by the government have encouraged more international tourists to visit Vietnam.