Nearly 4.6 million international tourists visited Vietnam in the first five months of 2023, a 12.6-fold increase against the same period last year, figures from General Statistics Office (GSO) reveal.

Eighty-eight per cent arrived by air, 10.9 per cent by road, and 1.1 per cent by sea.

South Korea remained the largest source market, with over 1.3 million arrivals during the period, followed by China with nearly 399,000, Malaysia with 41,700, and Japan with 43,800.

During the period, the country catered to nearly 50.5 million domestic tourists.

Earnings from accommodation and restaurant services in the period were estimated at VND268.3 trillion ($11.3 billion), up 22.1 per cent year-on-year.