Foreign visitors to Ho Chi Minh City rise sharply
VOV.VN - The number of international arrivals to Ho Chi Minh City during the opening eight months of the year has significantly increased, hitting 2.71 million, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism.
August alone witnessed more than 350,000 visit Vietnam’s largest city – a famous tourist destination in the country.
The eight-month figure rose by 92.3% year on year, fulfilling 54.3% of the annual plan, although it was not the peak season that often takes place from late September and early October to April next year.
At present, foreign arrivals to the city make up nearly one third of the total number of international visitors to the country.
Thanks to the positive growth, the southern city’s tourism sector raked in VND106,020 billion in revenue over eight months, up 42.3% year on year.
Meanwhile, the General Statistics Office reported, foreign arrivals to Vietnam in August reached 1.2 million, representing an increase of 17.2% compared to the previous month.
The August figure raised the total number of foreign arrivals in the first eight months to more than 7.8 million, marking a 5.4-fold increase compared to the same period last year.
However, this figure is equal to 69.2% of the same period of 2019, a year before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.
Of the total, travelers by air reached nearly 6.9 million, while the remainder included visitors via sea routes and roads.
Vietnam has officially granted e-visas to citizens of all countries and territories, while also moving to extend temporary residence to 45 days for citizens of countries subject to unilateral visa exemption.
These moves are expected to help Vietnam further attract international tourists and improve its overall tourism competitiveness compared to regional rivals.
