Tran Van Long, director of Viet Media Travel, said the number of bookings for China tours fell by 30 percent in June and July, from around 350 a month to just 100.

A Saigontourist spokesperson said this summer only 650 people have booked tours to China, nearly 30 percent down year-on-year.

But numbers to Hong Kong and Macao have increased, she said.

Nguyen Thi Huyen, management director of Vietnam Tour, said that due to economic difficulties people are tightening their belts, which strongly affects tourism.

Vu The Binh, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, also attributed the fall to a complex and expensive visa process, high tour costs.

In June and July, Vietnam also saw a downturn in the number of Chinese tourists.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism reported that in June 79,000 Chinese tourists arrived in Vietnam, down by a third from the same month last year.

The figure in July was 90,700, down 13 percent.