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Consumer price index, gold and USD price indexes in March of 2024

The consumer price index (CPI) in March 2024 decreased by 0.23% compared to the previous month. Compared to December 2023, March CPI increased by 1.12% and compared to the same period last year increased by 3.97%. (29/03/2024)

Index of industrial production in March of 2024

In the first quarter of 2024, the index of industrial production (IIP) is estimated to increase by 5.7% over the same period last year (the same period in 2023 decreased by 2.6%). (29/03/2024)

Infographic social-economic situation in the First quarter of 2024

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2024 is estimated to increase by 5.66% over the same period last year, higher than the growth rate of the first quarter of 2020-2023. (29/03/2024)

Exports and imports value by months of 2024

Preliminary data tables of months in 2024 about Exports of goods, Imports of goods, Imports and exports by country group, country and territory, Exports by (05/03/2024)

Press conference to announce socio-economic statistics second quarter and first 6 months of 2023

On the morning of June 29, 2023, the General Statistics Office held a press conference to announce the socio-economic statistics of the second quarter and the first six months of 2023. Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, Director General, chaired the press conference. (29/06/2023)

Project starting workshop "Developing new statistics resources and build capacity on new data resources and technology"

On the morning of February 20th, 2023, the General Statistics Office (GSO) organized the Kick-off Project "Development of new statistical resources and capacity building in new data technologies and resources" (20/02/2023)

Press conference to announce socio-economic statistics fourth quarter and 2022

On the morning of December 29, 2022, the General Statistics Office (GSO) held a press conference to announce the socio-economic statistics of the fourth quarter and 2022. Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, General Director of the General Statistics Office chaired conference. At the press conference, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong announced the basic issues about the socio-economic situation of Vietnam in the fourth quarter and 2022. (29/12/2022)

Explanation of statistical indicators on health

Explaination of health establishment, patient bed, health staff, under-five-malnutrition rate by level of malnutrition and Number of people infected and died of HIV/AIDS. (30/06/2019)

Explanation of statistical indicators on education

Explanation of terminology, content and methodology of some statistical indicators on education. (30/06/2019)

Explanation of statistical indicators on forestry

Forests are identified and classified according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Circular No. 34/2009/TT-BNNPTNT dated June 10, 2009. (30/06/2019)

2023 IAOS Prize for Young Statisticians

The International Association for Official Statistics (IAOS) is pleased to announce the launch of the 2023 IAOS Young Statisticians Prize. This international prize encourages young statisticians to take an active interest in official statistics and is awarded for the best paper in the field of official statistics written by a young statistician. (18/11/2022)

Action plan on Central Highlands development issued

VGP - The Government has recently issued Resolution 152/NQ-CP (Resolution 152) approving an action plan to implement Resolution 23-NQ-TW of the Poliburo on the orientations for socio-economic development and defence-security safeguarding in the Central Highlands by 2030 with a vision towards 2045. (16/11/2022)

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03/12/2022   10:12 (GMT+07:00)

Number of international visitors to Vietnam sets 'record' after pandemic

Vietnam welcomed 2.95 million foreign visitors in January-November 2022, 21.1 times up year on year, but still down 81.9% compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

vietnam national administration of tourism statistics

According to data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, the number of international tourists to Vietnam in November 2022 was the highest since the country reopened its border for foreigners after the Covid-19 pandemic, with over 596,900 arrivals, 23% up from October.

Over 70% of international visitors to Vietnam were Asian tourists, with the largest number of tourists coming from Korea (763,900, equivalent to 26%), followed by the US (over 266,000, 9%).

The Indian market keeps growing. According to the General Statistics Office, in November 2022, Vietnam welcomed 27,000 visitors from India, an increase of 31% compared to the previous month and 50% higher than the same period in 2019. The total number of Indian visitors to Vietnam in the past 11 months reached 109,000, with a monthly growth rate of 49%.

Total tourism revenue in this period is estimated at 456.7 trillion VND, equivalent to 70% of the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 outbreak.

Meanwhile, earnings from travelling services reached roughly VND22.9 trillion, 4.1 times higher than the figure recorded in the same period last year.

Particularly, visitors arriving by air accounted for 88.9% during the reviewed period, while those entering the country by road and sea made up 11.1% and 0.03% of arrivals, respectively.

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) developed a special email system as part of efforts aimed at promoting Vietnamese tourism at https://mail.vietnam.travel.

This marks the first time that the local tourism industry has set up an email system in order to serve tourism promotion activities. The purpose of the move is to enhance digital transformation in the tourism sector, with a greater focus placed on building tools and applications in a bid to increase travel experience.

  • Vietnam attracts more than 2.35 million foreign tourists in 10 months
  • Relaxing visa policy to attract more foreign tourists to Vietnam: insiders
  • HCM City welcomes first foreign tourists by waterways after COVID-19 hiatus

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Foreign travellers.

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Impacts and restoration strategy of the tourism industry post-COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Vietnam

Journal of Tourism Futures

ISSN : 2055-5911

Article publication date: 30 March 2022

This paper presents the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vietnam's tourism industry to propose appropriate recovery strategies in the future.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses a combination of research methods. Data were collected from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, General Statistics Office, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and Ministry of Health. Non-parametric statistical methods were applied to analyze the differences between epidemic and non-epidemic periods and find correlations between the number of infections and data related to the performance of the tourism industry. In-depth interviews with 20 people linked to tourism activities were conducted to analyze the impacts and propose strategies for future recovery.

The results demonstrate the severe impact of the pandemic on Vietnam's tourism industry based on a decrease in the number of visitors, business activities, revenue and employment rate. Therefore, to recover tourism – Vietnam's key economic sector in the future – developing reasonable strategies to build a safe tourism environment, building a sustainable tourist market, diversifying and improving tourism high-quality tourism products, marketing, human resources, digital transformation and sustainable tourism are necessary, along with the development trend of the industry after COVID-19.

Originality/value

This paper synchronously and systematically presents the effects of COVID-19 on Vietnam's tourism industry based on official data. Strategies are proposed to handle these effects on a reliable scientific basis. This study can be considered a valuable reference for researchers and managers of tourism in developing countries, such as Vietnam.

  • COVID-19 pandemic
  • Recovery strategy

Vu, H.D. , Nguyen, A.T.N. , Nguyen, N.T.P. and Tran, D.B. (2022), "Impacts and restoration strategy of the tourism industry post-COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from Vietnam", Journal of Tourism Futures , Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-09-2021-0218

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Hoa Dinh Vu, Anh Thi Ngoc Nguyen, Nga Thi Phuong Nguyen and Duy Ba Tran

Published in Journal of Tourism Futures . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode .

Introduction

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was first detected in Wuhan in December 2019 and quickly became a global pandemic in March 2020. COVID-19 has led to a rapid global health crisis resulting in economic shock ( Churski et al. , 2021 ), including shocks that affect the tourism industry. Undoubtedly, COVID-19 is one of the most significant events of the 21st century ( Zenker et al. , 2021 ). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the global tourism industry has faced an unprecedented crisis ( Sharma et al. , 2021 ). Countries are taking tight countermeasures to control the spread of the disease by restricting travel and closing national borders ( Villacé-Molinero et al. , 2021 ). Tourism demand plummeted because of the impact of COVID-19. In fact, according to a report by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) fell by 72% from January to October 2020 compared to the same period last year (back to levels of 30 years ago), curbed by slow virus containment, low traveler confidence and essential restrictions on travel due to the pandemic. The estimated decline in international tourism in 2020 is equivalent to a loss of approximately 1 billion arrivals and US$1.1 trillion in international tourism receipts. This plunge in international tourism could result in an estimated economic loss of over US$2 trillion in global GDP, which is more than 2% of the world's GDP in 2019 ( UNWTO, 2020 ). The impact of COVID-19 on the tourism industry has highlighted its vulnerability to global disasters ( Jiang and Ritchie, 2017 ). The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development predicts that tourism will be among the last sectors of the economy to recover lost demand after finally controlling COVID-19. However, COVID-19 can also be regarded as a rare and invaluable opportunity for the tourism industry to rethink and restore the direction of more inclusive, sustainable and responsible development for the future ( UNWTO, 2020 ; Higgins-Desbiolles, 2020 ).

Owing to abundant natural and human tourism resources, Vietnam is known as an attractive tourist destination. In 2019, the country welcomed 18.1 million international tourist arrivals, surpassing Indonesia (16.1 million). It rises to the fourth position in Southeast Asia, after Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore (19.1 million). The tourism industry contributes over 9.2% of the GDP, creating 2.9 million jobs, including 927,000 direct jobs in 2019 ( VNAT, 2021a , b , c ; Tuan, 2020 ). The World Tourism Organization ranked Vietnam sixth out of the 10 countries with the fastest growth rate globally ( Tuan, 2020 ). However, in January 2020, the country recorded its first confirmed case of COVID-19, and the number of COVID-19 infections tended to increase continuously over time. The emergence of the pandemic quickly “froze” Vietnam's tourism industry. The rapid decline in the number of visitors, business activities, revenue and employment rate has caused significant losses to the country's tourism industry and economy.

How severe is the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic to Vietnam's tourism industry?

What are Vietnam's response policies to the tourism industry during the pandemic?

What strategies should be implemented to effectively recover the country's tourism industry after the pandemic?

Methodology

The authors used a combination of quantitative and qualitative research techniques. These two approaches allow the authors to gain a deeper insight into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry and to have more practical and scientific bases to propose strategies to recover the country's tourism industry after COVID-19.

Quantitative research

The Mann–Whitney U test was conducted to compare the differences between two independent groups. This test was performed to answer the question of whether any significant difference exists in the number of tourists, revenue and employment rate in the tourism industry in Vietnam between the epidemic and non-epidemic periods. The hypothesis (Ho) is that no difference exists in the number of visitors, revenue and employment rate in the tourism industry during the epidemic and non-epidemic periods The alternative hypothesis (H1) is that a difference exists in the number of visitors, revenue and employment rate in the tourism industry during the epidemic and non-epidemic periods.

The Friedman test was conducted to determine the difference between groups when the measured variable was ordinal. It was used in this study to answer the question over time regarding the increasingly severe course of the epidemic: Is there any difference in the number of visitors, revenue and employment rate in the tourism industry? The hypothesis is that no difference exists according to the evolution of the epidemic.

The Spearman test verified the relationship between two ranked variables: one typed and one measured. In this study, the test was used to examine the association during the epidemic period. A negative correlation was observed between monthly cases and visitors, revenue and employment rates.

Qualitative research

Considering that the COVID-19 pandemic remains complicated on a global scale and its impact on socioeconomic and environmental aspects is still not clearly defined, qualitative research through interviews and focus group discussions is considered relatively suitable for uncovering essential concepts that can go beyond the mere statistical analysis of quantitative research methods ( Bernard, 2017 ; Silverman, 2009 ). Qualitative data were collected by interviewing 20 participants. They are experts and employees in tourism with high professional qualifications, capable of giving opinions to ensure transparency and objectivity in research content (see Table 1 ). Face-to-face interviews were conducted. However, some interviews were conducted online via Zoom cloud meeting software for safety reasons and geographical distance. The interviews were conducted from January to March 2021.

This study adopted a semi-structured interview method to collect information. The interview script was divided into two parts (see Appendix ). Initially, the interviewer was asked to give a general introduction about their age, job position, location and work experience in the tourism industry. The interview topic was focused on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry and expectations for post-pandemic tourism recovery. For the expert group, the questions also extended to the content of trend identification, development of the tourism industry after the pandemic and suggestions for developing strategies to recover the tourism industry. The interviews were recorded with participants' permission, and their personal information was kept confidential. The interview data provide the author a basis for clarifying the impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry. Simultaneously, there are more grounds to propose development strategies suitable for Vietnam's tourism industry post-COVID-19.

Descriptive statistics analysis

Impact on tourists and revenue.

After the high growth momentum before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam's tourism industry had an average growth rate of 22.7% in 2015–2019, from 7.9 million visitors (in 2015) to 18.1 million visitors (in 2019). However, the number of international visitors is continuously decreasing due to the outbreak of the pandemic. In 2020, Vietnam only received 3.8 million visitors, a decline of 79.5% compared to the same period in 2019 (see Figure 1 ). Following the downward trend from 2020, in the first 6 months of 2021, international visitors to Vietnam were estimated at only 88.2000 arrivals, down 97.6% over the same period last year ( VNAT, 2021c ).

In general, international visitors to Vietnam by air in 2020 accounted for 80.3% and decreased by 78.6% compared to that in 2019, visitors coming by road decreased by 81.9%, and arrivals by sea decreased by 45.2%. In 2020, visitors to Vietnam from Asia accounted for 73.3% of the total international arrivals, a decrease of 80.4% compared to that of the previous year (see Figure 2 ). Visitors from all major markets decreased sharply: from China, 83.5%; Korea, 80.4%; Japan, 78.4%; Taiwan, 78.8%; Cambodia, 46.6%; and Malaysia, 80.7%. Meanwhile, visitors from Europe in 2020 decreased by 69%, and those from the Americas decreased by 75.7% compared to that in 2019 ( VNTA, 2021b ).

Vietnam's domestic tourists in 2020 decreased by 34% compared to that in 2019, from 85 million (2019) to 56 million (2020) (see Figure 1 ; VNAT, 2021c ). Some localities prospered to welcome domestic tourists in the first quarter of 2021; however, the COVID-19 epidemic continues to break out. Therefore, the number of domestic visitors in the first 6 months of 2021 was only 30.5 million ( VNAT, 2021c ).

Owing to the rapid decrease in the number of tourists, the total revenue from tourists in 2020 also decreased sharply. In 2020, Vietnam's revenue from tourists only reached 312,000 billion VND, which is 58.7% lower than that in 2019. Meanwhile, the country's total tourist revenue decreased in the first 6 months of 2021, reaching only approximately 134,000 billion VND, a decline of 24.2% over the same period in 2020 ( VNAT, 2021b , c ).

Impact on accommodation and travel business

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected thousands of Vietnamese tourism businesses. Tourism businesses have fallen into a state of exhaustion and no longer have the resources to maintain minimum operating conditions. Challenges accumulate when most companies have debts with banks and are almost unable to pay in the current period.

In 2020, only 201 travel businesses applied for new licenses, a decline of more than one-third, compared to the number of new ones in 2019 (725 enterprises). The number of firms that used revocation increased by threefold. In 2020, over 338/2519 international travel businesses have applied to have their licenses revoked, and 90% of them closed. Large enterprises arrange only about 30% of the staff on duty at their physical stores. Employees are given unpaid leave, or their salary are reduced to 80%. In 2021, the number of travel businesses applying to have their travel business licenses revoked accounted for nearly 30% of the total number of licensed companies. Currently, only about 2,200 firms have travel business licenses nationwide, of which many are still closed or shutdown due to a lack of tourists ( VNAT, 2021c ).

The accommodation sector was the first and most affected segment due to the COVID-19 pandemic's onset in early 2020. In the tourism industry's revenue structure, the accommodation and catering businesses had the most significant proportion (in 2019, accounting for 46%), resulting in an extensive damage to the tourism industry. By the end of June 2021, the gathered data are 37,000 accommodations, with 780,000 rooms. The average occupancy of the entire country in the first 6 months of 2021 is only 15%, which is less than 10% in many places. After a period of moderate operation, many establishments had to close ( VNAT, 2021c ).

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a different impact on tourism facilities depending on their type, size and quality. For 3-4-5-star and equivalent tourism facilities, most of them have deep discounts, transform markets, attract domestic customers and experts and a few suspend businesses that operate moderately ( VNAT, 2021c ). Due to the characteristics of serving mainly domestic tourists, tourism facilities with 1–2 stars and equivalent or less operate in moderation. Most homestay community tourists do not even have guests. Further, shared housing systems using technology platforms, such as Airbnb, have mostly stopped working.

Impact on tourism employees

According to the GSO, employees in the tourism industry have been the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, approximately 60% of the employees of Vietnam's tourism industry lost their jobs due to closure of borders and restriction of domestic travel caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. The number of employed workers in the sector fluctuates by only around 30–40% ( GSO, 2020 ). In 2021, the unemployment rate in the tourism industry continued to increase, reaching approximately 90% of the total number of employees in travel businesses and 70–80% of workers in accommodation establishments ( VNAT, 2021c ).

Inferential statistics analysis

Analysis of differences.

According to the results of the Mann–Whitney U test, the number of tourists (international and domestic), revenue and employment rate during the epidemic period was significantly different from those in the non-epidemic period. The disparity is concentrated in the number of international tourists, revenue and employment in the tourism industry, which is the largest (see Table 2 ). The results show that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced the number of tourist arrivals in Vietnam. The difference in the number of visitors, revenue and employment rate in the tourism industry between the epidemic and non-transition periods requires the government of Vietnam to control the epidemic to restore tourism activities effectively. Simultaneously, a strategic solution is necessary to increase tourist attractions, emphasizing that “Vietnam is an attractive and safe destination.”

According to the results of the Friedman test, a substantial difference existed in the number of international tourists and revenue over time. This indicates that, when the epidemic becomes increasingly severe (through two outbreaks in 2020), this difference becomes more extensive and significant than when epidemic did not emerge (see Table 3 ).

Correlation analysis

The results of Spearman's rank correlation analysis indicate that the rate of negative correlation is significant between the number of visitors and that of recorded cases by month, but the other variables were not significant. Thus, evidently the Spearman test is true to the actual situation, with a negative correlation between the number of infected cases and that of tourists, the outbreak of the disease and the number of tourists decreasing due to the increasing awareness of epidemic prevention. Therefore, tourism planners and managers, along with the government of Vietnam, must promote propaganda on safe epidemic prevention measures and raise public awareness to contribute to disease control. This aims to reduce the negative correlation between the number of tourists and the evolution of the pandemic (see Table 4 ).

Interview analyses

The summary of the results of interviews with 10 experts and 10 employees in the tourism sector indicates that they all believe that Vietnam's tourism industry is greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has placed tourism businesses and employees in more difficult situations than ever before.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most travel businesses to transform their business models or hibernation. “ 100% of the instructors at the company are out of work during the outbreak [ …], now because resources have been exhausted, businesses are forced to give employees a break, only retaining the core force to working with partners to ensure the best interests of customers” (Interviewer No. 8). Similarly, the 7th interviewer said, “The company's revenue is currently zero. The company is forced to give 80% of its employee's unpaid leave, keeping only key personnel ” (Interviewer No. 9).

According to tourism workers, about 80% are currently unemployed (62.5% were unemployed in 2020, and 37.5% remained unemployed in early 2021). “ It's a pity to take a break, but the tourism industry is still struggling, I do not know when it will recover. Also, because of life, I had to change jobs ” (Interviewer No. 16). “ Over ten years in the profession, never before have we experienced such a great mental crisis, we are almost exhausted, tired […]now the company has cut 90% of its workforce only retained some key positions to maintain ” (Interviewer No. 14). Currently, most tourism workers who have lost their jobs have moved to other jobs or have attempted to find new jobs. Among the respondents, only 20% of the employees were still working in the tourism industry with a salary of 80%, while 62.5% had switched to other fields, such as business and tourism, online business, teaching, real estate business and shipping. However, up to 37.5% of employees did not find a new job. Life has been challenging because of the loss of the primary source of income. “ Many tourism workers, after being cut, have found a suitable job, have the same income as before, and their passion for tourism has disappeared which is making them no longer need to return to the industry ” (Interviewer No. 18). When they found a new job, about 60% of the employees answered that they did not consider returning to the tourism industry when the pandemic is under control. This poses a significant challenge in the future when the tourism industry is revived. There may be a significant shortage of human resources, especially for high-quality human resources who have specific skills wherein the training cannot be done in a short time.

Vietnam's policy response to the tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic

From the first recorded case in January 2020 to May 31, 2021, Vietnam has a total of 7,312 confirmed cases, including 4,224 active patients, 47 deaths and 3,030 recoveries ( Table 5 )

In terms of distribution, all provinces and cities of Vietnam have recorded different numbers of COVID-19 cases. The regions with the highest number of cases are Bac Ninh, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and Ba Ria – Vung Tau, which are also important tourist centers in Vietnam (see Figure 3 ).

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Vietnam and stakeholders have implemented prevention and control measures to reduce the spread of the disease in the community (see Table 6 ). The quick and timely response of the Vietnamese government has contributed to minimizing the negative impact of the pandemic on Vietnam's socioeconomic status in general, and particularly the tourism industry.

The MCST has a plan to issue specific instructions on disease prevention measures at attractions to ensure tourists' safety and simultaneously launched the program, “Vietnamese people travel to Vietnam.” The program's goals are to stimulate domestic tourism, promote communication and promote safe destinations for epidemic prevention and control during the period when the epidemic is under control.

In general, Vietnam's response policies to the pandemic in 2020 and the first half of 2021 have been relatively successful. The promulgation of strict guidelines, zoning and isolation of infected cases have helped Vietnam control the epidemic situation (as of May 2021). However, for sustainable socioeconomic development in general, the country's tourism industry particularly should have more appropriate adaptation strategies to the new situation to prevent the epidemic while not harming social and economic development.

Strategy to recover Vietnam's tourism industry post COVID-19.

Building a safe tourism environment : The medical crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the psychology of most tourists when deciding to travel. Therefore, a safe tourism environment should be established to attract tourists after the pandemic. These safe tourism aspects include safe destination, safe accommodation facilities and service providers, ensuring the prevention of the disease according to the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization and tourists having complete information and knowledge about disease prevention.

Tourism market development strategy : The existence of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the needs and psychology of tourists. “ Tourists tend to choose destinations with a short distance, in the region or the country with a shorter period instead of choosing a distant tourist destination to ensure health safety factors health, save budget, reduce risks and be more proactive in unexpected situations ” (Interviewer No. 1). Therefore, the strategy is to develop a domestic tourist market by combining international calls with high affordability. To stimulate tourism demand in the domestic market, there is a need to actively develop new products and services, improve professionalism in customer service and provide promotions and discounts. Meanwhile, the international tourist market should focus on markets that are high paying and already have vaccine passports, such as the US, European countries, Australia, New Zealand and countries such as South Korea and Japan; next to the traditional visitor market is China.

Strategy of diversifying and improving the quality of tourism products: “ The demand for tourism after the social distancing will be huge [ …] the preferred destinations for tourists will be the destinations to peace, away from crowded destinations ” (Interviewer No. 8). Therefore, after the pandemic, Vietnam's tourism product development strategy must focus on developing natural tourism products, such as sea tourism and unspoiled islands, which are less affected by humans. Another strategy is developing cultural products associated with heritage and festivals, visiting local areas and learning about local culture and lifestyle, and developing craft village tourism and community tourism combined with a homestay. New types of tourism, especially healthcare tourism, convalescence tourism, and MICE tourism, might greatly attract tourists after the pandemic.

Innovating marketing activities: After the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam's tourism marketing strategy should focus on the message such as “Enjoy peaceful Vietnam” and hashtag #VietnamSafe to convey that Vietnam is a safe and reliable destination with a high sense of epidemic prevention. Another technique is segmentation of guest markets, and this includes domestic tourists (focusing on the middle-class segment, middle- and high-end income, family, resort), tourists from Southeast and Northeast Asian countries (high-income customer groups; entertainment and relaxation needs after the stressful lockdown; golf, beach tourism, relaxation tourism), tourists from China (high-income segment, traveling with families or small groups, high-end resort tourism, high demand) and tourists from Europe and North America (medium income, seeking safety and peace, traveling in small groups, family or friends).

Strengthening digital transformation in tourism: To recover Vietnam's tourism industry after COVID-19, there is a need to improve digitization of tourism data, build a tourism information system, promote the general application of digital technology for tourism marketing and innovative destination management, connect data with related industries and develop experience-related applications on Internet platforms (e.g., visual tour or interactive) are necessary.

Strategy to maintain and develop human tourism resources : After the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam's tourism industry will likely lack a highly qualified workforce because many human resources during the pandemic transitioned to other professions. Therefore, the tourism industry should implement a strategy to maintain and gather human resources by supporting monetary policies and providing training on practical career skills by experienced professionals. Other techniques are innovating teaching-related theories with suitable content, applying new technologies in training and empowering employees.

Support strategies for tourism businesses: Particularly, 7 out of 10 of the experts interviewed suggested that there should be a support strategy from the government for tourism businesses. “Government should be tax exemption and reduction policies for tourism businesses, applying electricity prices according to the unit price of electricity produced for restaurants, tourist accommodation services instead of using service rates service” (Interviewer No. 8). The government's strategy to support tourism businesses should focus on financial support policies (e.g., exemptions, tax breaks, fees for companies), training support policies (e.g., organizing training programs and fostering human resources to support businesses to ensure the quality of resource supply for the tourism industry) and policies to help logistics associated with tourism.

Developing tourism toward green growth : After COVID-19, tourists tended to be interested in green tourism activities, low carbon emissions and environmentally friendly green destinations. Therefore, Vietnam should transform its tourism development model toward sustainability to attract tourists after the pandemic. It should also focus on developing tourism activities toward nature conservation and restoration, creating green spaces with less greenhouse gas emissions and bringing more benefits to indigenous communities.

In this paper, we presented the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vietnam's tourism industry and proposed strategies for its recovery after COVID-19.

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vietnam's tourism industry were analyzed based on two data sources from state agencies, and interviews were conducted by the author in early 2021. Results of the non-parametric test method used in this study indicate the large difference of Vietnam's tourism industry before and during the pandemic. The tourism indicators (i.e., number of visitors, revenue and employment rate) tended to decrease compared with the pre-pandemic period. Consequently, the overall economic efficiency of the tourism industry has declined, and its role in national economic growth has been reduced. The analysis results also show a negative correlation between the number of cases confirmed and that of tourists who travel. With more issues identified, the number of people traveling decreases due to psychological reasons, fear of pandemic-related problems and border closure policies of countries. However, due to limited statistical data sources, in the correlation analysis, new statistics only shows that the number of infections is inversely proportional to the number of tourists in a month. Regarding sufficient statistics and time, the author believes that the analysis will fully reflect the impact of the pandemic on Vietnam's tourism industry and will help the tourism industry. Authorities have promulgated policies to proactively and promptly respond and adapt to the complicated developments of the pandemic. Additionally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism industry was evaluated and analyzed by the authors based on the opinions of 10 reputable and experienced experts in policymaking and research and development in tourism business and 10 highly qualified and senior workers in the profession. The experts and employees share the same view in that COVID-19 caused significant damage to Vietnam's tourism industry. The expert group assessed the impact of the pandemic on the tourism industry in a broad manner. Conversely, employees focused on the effects of the pandemic on employment and income and hope that it can be controlled so they can go back to work. Further, combining interview data and statistics was important to the author during the research process. The interviews gave the authors sufficient strategies to practically and effectively recover Vietnam's tourism industry after COVID-19. Based on statistical analysis and consultation with experts and employees, we proposed eight sets of strategies to help the tourism industry recover after the pandemic. These strategies are related to the following: safe tourism environment, tourism market development, marketing strategy in a new context, digital transformation in tourism, human resource development, systems on supporting mechanisms and policies and tourism development toward green growth.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have complicated effects both worldwide and in Vietnam, it can be surmised that Vietnam's tourism industry may take 2–3 years, perhaps even longer, to fully recover. However, the government is determined to address the pandemic, and stakeholders have a consensus in the development of the tourism industry, combined with the rational use of well-founded recovery strategies for the recovery of Vietnam's tourism industry promptly.

vietnam national administration of tourism statistics

Changes in the number of tourists of Vietnam in 2016–2020

vietnam national administration of tourism statistics

Number of international visitors to Vietnam in 2020 by continent

vietnam national administration of tourism statistics

Number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam by administrative unit

Demographic characteristics of the interviewees

Relationship between the number of infections and the variables of the tourism industry

Source(s): Author's summary

Part I. Demographics

How many years have the respondents worked in tourism?

Current job positions

Where (in which city) does the respondent work?

Part II. List of interview questions:

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented changes in the tourism industry. Could you tell us about the differences in Vietnam's tourism industry before and during the pandemic? Please tell us about the specific damages to the unit under your management.

Please tell us about the limitations and challenges that Vietnam's tourism industry has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

How did your business/unit maintain its recovery direction during the pandemic period when it is controlled?

Based on your opinion, should the Vietnamese government have supportive policies so that the tourism industry can maintain and recover from the pandemic?

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the tourism industry experienced drastic changes. How do you think the tourism behavior of Vietnamese people changes? What strategies should the tourism industry have to adopt to such changes?

What do you think the tourism industry should change to contribute to effective and sustainable development when the COVID-19 pandemic is controlled?

Have you encountered any challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, can you describe some of these critical challenges or barriers?

How has the government/business support you received in keeping your job during the pandemic? What support have you received from the government and your businesses? (iii) What was your job before the COVID-19 pandemic? Did you have any difficulty transitioning to a new job?

Do you desire to return to work in the tourism industry after the COVID-19 pandemic has been controlled?.

Bernard , H.R. ( 2017 ), Research Methods in Anthropology: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches , 6th ed. , Rowman & Littlefield Publishers , Lanham, Maryland .

Churski , P. , Kroczak , H. , Łuczak , M. , Shelest-Szumilas , O. and Wózniak , M. ( 2021 ), “ Adaptation strategies of migrant workers from Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic ”, Sustainability , Vol.  13 , p. 8337 , doi: 10.3390/su13158337 .

GSO ( 2020 ), “ The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on employment in Vietnam ”, available at: https://gso.gov.vn/default.aspx?tabid=382&idmid=2&ItemID=19675 ( accessed 1 June 2021 ).

Higgins-Desbiolles , F. ( 2020 ), “ Socialising tourism for social and ecological justice after COVID-19 ”, Tourism Geography , Vol.  22 , pp.  610 - 623 , doi: 10.1080/14616688.2020.1757748 .

Jiang , Y. and Ritchie , B.W. ( 2017 ), “ Disaster collaboration in tourism: motives, impediments and success factors ”, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management , Vol.  31 , pp.  70 - 82 , doi: 10.1016/j.jhtm.2016.09.004 .

MOH ( 2021 ), “ Epidemic evolution (2020-2021) ”, available at: https://ncov.moh.gov.vn/vi/web/guest/dong-thoi-gian ( accessed 1 June 2021 ).

Sharma , G.D. , Thomas , A. and Paul , J. ( 2021 ), “ Reviving tourism industry post-COVID-19: a resilience-based framework ”, Tourism Management Perspectives , Vol.  37 , p. 100786 , doi: 10.1016/j.tmp.2020.100786 .

Silverman , D. ( 2009 ), Doing Qualitative Research , Sage Publications , London .

Tuan , N.A. ( 2020 ), “ Impact of COVID-19 on Vietnam's tourism industry ”, Proceedings of the COVID-19 Seminar, Pandemic and Problems With Sustainable Development , Hanoi , pp.  329 - 340 .

UNWTO ( 2020 ), “ Tourism and COVID-19: guiding tourism's recovery ”, available at: https://www.unwto.org/tourism-covid-19 ( accessed 18 January 2021 ).

Villacé-Molinero , T. , Fernández-Muñoz , J.J. , Orea-Giner , A. and Fuentes-Moraleda , L. ( 2021 ), “ Understanding the new post-COVID-19 risk scenario: outlooks and challenges for a new era of tourism ”, Tourism Management , Vol.  86 , p. 104324 , doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104324 .

VNAT ( 2021a ), “ International visitors (2015-2021) ”, available at: https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn/english/index.php/statistic/international ( accessed 15 February 2021 ).

VNAT ( 2021b ), “ Total tourism receipts (2015-2021) ”, available at: https://vietnamtourism.gov.vn/english/index.php/statistic/Receipts ( accessed 30 May 2021 ).

VNAT ( 2021c ), Report Assessing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tourism Activities , Hanoi .

Zenker , S. , Braun , E. and Gyimóthy , S. ( 2021 ), “ Too afraid to travel? Development of a pandemic (COVID-19) anxiety travel scale (PATS) ”, Tourism Management , Vol.  84 , p. 104286 , doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2021.104286 .

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Vietnam tourism in the first half of 2021 - Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism

(TITC) – According to UNWTO, international arrivals dropped by 83% in the period January – March 2021 compared to 2020. UNWTO has had reduce its forward of international arrivals for growth scenario in 2021. The General Statistics Office of Viet Nam informed that the number of international arrivals to Viet Nam in first half of 2021 decreased 97.6% over the same period of 2020. Vietnam tourism has made effort to realize the dual goal of drastically responding to the Covid-19 pandemic in the line with resume tourism industry.

vietnam national administration of tourism statistics

Hon Thom Island in Phu Quoc, Kien Giang Province

In order to maintain safe domestic tourism activities, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has proposed to the leaders of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST) to issue documents requiring strict implementation of Covid-19 safety declaration for tourism accommodation establishments. VNAT also organized work groups to inspect some tourism establishments.

The holiday of April 30 to May 1 witnessed a strong growth in the number of domestic tourists. However, outbreaks of Covid-19 pandemic have caused interruptions in tourism activities in localities, many travel companies and hotels had to stop operating, workers became unemployment. The Government and related ministries have issued policies to support businesses and employees in the tourism industry.

In the context of the wave of the 4th Industrial Revolution, VNAT paid special attention to digital transformation, focusing on developing tourism database systems; inter-connecting the tourist information system and smart applications. Through safe-tourism app, VNAT received feedback and coordinates with relevant authorities to handle and protect the rights for tourists.

Communication, promotion on digital platforms has enhanced. Notably, VNAT has coordinated with Google to launch the project "Google Arts & Culture - Wonders of Vietnam". VNAT also implemented communication program on Youtube namely "Discover Vietnam" that attracted a large number of viewers.

Regarding reopening of inbound tourism, MOCST is coordinating with related ministries and localities to build a pilot plan to reopen inbound tourism in Phu Quoc City (in Kien Giang Province) by appling COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate. This plan will be submitted for approval of the Prime Minister.

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Share of tourism receipts from domestic and inbound tourism Vietnam 2019

Breakdown of tourism receipts between domestic and inbound tourism in vietnam in 2019.

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  • Market Report

Tourism in Vietnam 2020 - 2021

Tourism in Vietnam 2020 - 2021 : Viet Nam

The Tourism in Vietnam Report from Statista provides an overview of the tourism market in Asia in general and Vietnam in particular through detailed data.

Tourism in Vietnam 2020 - 2021

Table of contens

Table of contents, key performance indicators, international tourism, domestic tourism, accommodation industry, tour operators and guides, online travel agencies, impact of covid-19.

Vietnam possesses attractive tourism development potential and is a destination attracting tourists worldwide. However, before the pandemic, Vietnam's tourism industry was inevitably severely affected. The Statista report provides an overview of the tourism market in Asia in general and Vietnam in particular through detailed data.

According to the report, China ranks No. 1 of the international tourist arrivals in Asia with 33.28 million of the international tourist arrivals in 2020; the second rank belongs to Thailand with 14.86 million arrivals, Japan ranks No.3 with 9.17 million, and Vietnam ranks No. 6 with 6.83 million of arrivals. 

tourism-in-vietnam-1

In 2021, international visitors to Vietnam were estimated at 157.3 thousand arrivals, down 95.9% over the previous year; the number of domestic tourists reached about 40 million; total revenue from tourists reached VND 180,000 billion VND.

For the international tourism expenditure per capita, Singapore ranks No. 1 with 1,550.62 US dollars per capita, Brunei Darussalam ranks second with the expenditure of 466.87 US dollars per capita, etc. 

tourism-in-vietnam-2

In Vietnam in 2020, Industry is the primary sector that contributes 1,732.82 trillion VND to the GDP of the country, followed by Manufacturing contribute 1,050.71 trillion VND; Wholesales and retail trade; vehicles and motorcycles repairs (734.08 trillion VND); Agriculture (680.83 trillion VND); Products taxes fewer subsidies on production (616.57 trillion VND); Construction (389.49 trillion VND); and more. 

tourism-in-vietnam-3

According to the data, the share of direct GDP contribution from the tourism sector in Vietnam steadily increased over the years from 2015 to 2019. The annual revenue from the tourism sector in 2019 reached 32.75 billion US dollars, an increase of 4.57 billion USD compared to the previous year. 

In 2021, the epidemic broke out throughout the 64 provinces and cities, forcing Vietnam to apply isolation measures to block and limit flight routes. As a result, in 2021, the number of tour operators applying to revoke business licenses accounted for over 35% of the total issued, while the rest stopped operating.

The number of international visitor arrivals in Vietnam in 2020 was 3.83 million, a decrease of 14.17 million arrivals compared to 2019 due to the pandemic. 81% of international tourist arrivals (ITA) in Vietnam in 2020 are transported by air, 16% travel by road, and 3% by sea.

tourism-in-vietnam-4

 Of 3.83 million visitors to Vietnam in 2020 were mainly from China and Korea with more than 1.8 million arrivals (accounting for about 50%), China (959.24 thousand ITAs), and South Korea (840.04 thousand ITAs). Visitors from Europe included the United States (174.08 thousand ITAs), Canada (42.2 thousand ITAs), etc. 

An international tourist spent 117.8 US dollars daily in Vietnam in 2019; this number increased 22.7% compared to the previous year. The overnight visitors (including package-tour and self-arranged) stay around 8 days at commercial accommodations, while overnight visitors stay around 12 days. at non-commercial accommodations

tourism-in-vietnam-5

The number of domestic tourist arrivals in Vietnam increased over the year: in 2019, it was 157.73 million arrivals; in 2018 was 144.68 million arrivals; in 2017 was 133.84 million arrivals. In 2019, a domestic tourist in Vietnam spent 1,1223 thousand dongs per day, lower than the average in 2018 (at 1,272 thousand dongs). Both overnight visitors stay at commercial and non-commercial accommodations spend around 4 days on the trip.

tourism-in-vietnam-6

By the end of 2019, there were 30 thousand tourist accommodations  nationwide with more than 100,000 rooms. Some tourist destinations such as Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, etc., have appeared the world's leading international luxury resorts. On average, the 50-star hotels in Vietnam rate was 116.6 US dollars, higher than the rate in 2018 was at 113.9 US dollars; the 4-star hotel's rate in 2019 was 73.6 US dollars, higher than the rate in 2018 (72.7 US dollars). In 2019, 77.8% of guests who stayed in upscale hotels in Vietnam were foreigners, 22.2% were domestic guests. 

At the end of 2019, Vietnam has 2,67 thousand tour operators, an increase of 49 hundred tour operators compared to the previous year. 

tourism-in-vietnam-7

According to the report, there are currently 7.68 thousand licensed tour guides in Vietnam, broken down by language: 52.7% are in English, 24.6% in Chinese, 7.8% in French, 3.7% in Japanese, 2.7% Russian, 2.7% German, 2.3% Korean, etc. The imbalance between the number of international tour guides of different languages and the number of tourists leads to a local shortage of language guides popular in high seasons such as Korean, Japanese, and Russian.

Although famous globally, especially in developed countries, OTA is still a new type in Vietnam. According to a survey by Rakuten Insight on online travel agencies (OTA) conducted in November 2020, 60% of Vietnamese respondents stated that they had used an online travel agency. Around 8% of them did not know what an online travel agent was.

tourism-in-vietnam-8

Leading online travel agencies in Vietnam as of November 2020 are include: Booking.com (62%); Agoda (61%); Traveloka (45%); Trivago (32%); TripAdvisor (28%); Airbnb (14%); Skyscanner (11%); Expedia (9%); Tugo (4%) and others (3%). 80% of people who book tickets or services via an online travel agency use their smartphone, 58% use a laptop, and 16% use their tablet. This data shows that building a mobile-friendly website is extremely important to help OTAs attract users to achieve higher conversion rates.

The tourism industry is considered the most challenging sector hit by the pandemic among economic sectors. The spread of the disease and complicated developments globally have caused many countries to implement social distance and blockade. 

tourism-in-vietnam-9

Looking back at the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on Vietnam's tourism, the number of international visitors to Vietnam from January 2020 to October 2020 shows a  sharp drop. In January, international visitors to Vietnam decreased sharply, reaching nearly 14,819 people, down 91.6% compared to October 2019. The hotel occupancy rate in the first half of 2020 was at 29%, down 32% compared to 2019.

The epidemic has changed tourists' behavior in many aspects. Accordingly, tourists tend to pay more attention to health safety, travel insurance, avoiding crowded contact, increasing demand for high-end resorts in open and isolated spaces; instead of prioritizing price, customers will prioritize safety and choose high-quality travel products. The negative impacts of the pandemic on the tourism industry in 2020 were so heavy. However, the pandemic also opens up many opportunities for the tourism sector to overcome challenges. To see detailed research data, you can download the full report here. For more information, don't hesitate to contact email [email protected] or phone (+84) 888 239 444.

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  • Ho Chi Minh City

vietnam national administration of tourism statistics

  • Vietnam A to Z

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT)

Mr Nguyen Van Tuan currently holds the post of General Director of the VNAT. In July 2010, VNAT celebrated its 50th birthday.

  • 1. VNAT timeline
  • 2. Functions

VNAT timeline 

  • July 1960, Vietnam Tourism Company was found, under the Ministry of Foreign Trade
  • June 1978, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism was established under the Government Council
  • October 1992, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism was set up

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, as an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism , takes the responsibility of assisting the Ministry in performing and exercising its power in tourism-related aspects. Branches and fields under the supervision of VNAT includes: Travel Department, Hotel Department, Finance Department, International Cooperation Department, Personnel Organization Department, Tourism Marketing Department and Office.

Also, there are four non-business organizations under VNAT including Tourism Information Technology Center, Institute for Tourism Development Research, Vietnam Tourism Review, and Tourism Newspaper. After the participation in WTO , the National Action Plan on Tourism aims to develop a fast-growing and sustainable tourism industry and make Vietnam the leading country in tourism in the region by 2020.

Under VNAT, there are Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism at provincial level and tourism decisions are predominantly made by both the macro- and micro- level tourist administrator. While the Ministry has the power to approve action plans, decrees and legal documents, it is VNAT that prepares these documents, initiates and monitor programs, allocates funds and conducts research. VNAT thus plays an especially important role in Vietnam tourism.

Address: 80 Quan Su Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

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I have had many problems with the evisa, me and my friends have lost money because the processing time is much longer than the promised three days, there are also errors associated with address problems when entering hotels address and the visa being denied. Many of my friends have given up because of problems with the system, I feel sorry for the people of vietnam because I think tourism is a great industry but because of issues with the evisa system many people don't go to visit

Please advise when Vietnam Airlines will re-commence flying tourists from Melbourne, Australia to Vietnam

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  • Ho Chi Minh City Tourism…

Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Revenue Soars 62.7% in the First Half of 2023

vietnam national administration of tourism statistics

Vietnam welcomed nearly 5.6 million international visitors and served 64 million domestic arrivals in the first six months of 2023, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism. Total tourism revenue reached VND 343 trillion, up 29.4% from the same period in 2022.

In the first half of 2023, Ho Chi Minh City emerged as a bright spot in Vietnam’s tourism industry. The city’s total tourism revenue reached nearly 81 thousand billion VND, representing a 62.7% increase compared to the same period in 2022 and 121% compared to 2019. As a leading tourism center in the country, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed over 16.4 million domestic tourists, a 48% increase from the same period in 2022.

vietnam national administration of tourism statistics

Data from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism shows that in the first half of this year, the city recorded more than 1.9 million international tourist arrivals, a 306% increase over the same period.

This success is attributed to the city’s tourism industry’s efforts in promoting investment and developing diverse tourism products such as waterway, MICE, and Golf. Additionally, the city has renewed its tourism programs and organized many events such as Tourism Day and the International Tourism Exhibition ITE to attract both domestic and foreign tourists.

vietnam national administration of tourism statistics

Ms. Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, stated that through surveying tourists and conducting market research, the city’s tourism industry has identified core factors for building its brand, quality, and communication plan. Tourism promotion is combined with market research to help businesses identify product promotion opportunities.

In the second half of 2023, diverse tourism events and products, along with new visa policies, are expected to boost the city’s tourism industry and attract more tourists.

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UN Tourism | Bringing the world closer

  • Asia and the Pacific
  • 14 Jul 2015

Press Release from Vietnam National Administration of Tourism: Vietnam plans for 15% increase in visitors from five European countries

Press Release from Vietnam National Administration of Tourism: Vietnam plans for 15% increase in visitors from five European countries

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Vietnam National Administration of Tourism

PRESS RELEASE

The Visa exemption launched by the Government of Vietnam in June 2015 is a critical tool for promoting travel to Vietnam by permitting citizens from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Belarus to visit Vietnam without obtaining a visitor visa. As of 1 July 2015, visitors travelling to Vietnam with passports issued by those five Western European countries and Belarus will no longer need a visa to visit for stays up to 15 days.

Europe in general, and the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy in particular, are some of the most important markets for Vietnam tourism with visitor numbers increasing significantly in recent years. In 2014, Europe generated nearly 1.2 million arrivals to Vietnam, in which visitors from the above five countries to Vietnam reached more than 635,000 visits.

Over the past number of years Vietnam has emerged as a world class destination that delivers an unrivalled visitor experience, from natural wonders and cultural offerings to adventure tours and beautiful beaches with some of the leading resorts in the world. This story book of unique experiences intertwined with history, extraordinary cuisine to vibrant young cities mixed with century old landmarks. Vietnam and its people have much to offer to the European market from product diversity, authenticity, and originality mixed with different emotions. Vietnam continues to offer the visitor a tradition of service built on an outstanding cultural heritage coupled with an unmatched friendliness and sophistication. The tourism sector was rewarded with several world class accolades over the recent time, some of these include:

-   The Telegraph rated Mekong river cruise as “among five of the best river cruises in Asia for 2015”.

In 2015, beside popular destinations for international tourist such as the capital city of Hanoi, Sa Pa, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Nha Trang, Binh Thuan, Ho Chi Minh City, a variety of new destinations and services were launched, promisingly appealing to visitors from Europe, including the world-wide famous Son Doong cave exploration tour, visiting Dong Van Karst Plateau Geopark, experiencing the Natural >World Heritage Ha Long Bay by seaplane, exploring the tranquil Mekong delta and experiencing the peaceful tropical paradise of Phu Quoc Island with its warm turquoise waters in the Gulf of Thailand.

The changes to visa policy also comes in an opportune time for visitors wishing to fly to Vietnam on a new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus 380, with the new high-tech plane coming into service on direct flights from Paris (Charles de Gaulle), London (Heathrow), and Germany (Frankfurt) with Vietnam airlines, and this is the first non-stop Dreamliner route between south-east Asia and Europe.

The relaxation of visa for five Western European countries and Belarus is a good first step to increasing visitor numbers to Vietnam. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) in close collaboration with key partners including airlines and the travel trade plan to roll out an extensive programme of promotional activities to target visitors from the 5 key markets.

Vietnam aims to build on the success of 2014 which was one of the best years for tourism from Europe with visitor numbers increasing by 15%. Building on that success and sustaining growth in the future is at the heart of VNAT´s plans. The administration will continue to target prospective European visitors with distinctive value experiences, events, and special packages tailored to their interests and designed to encourage more potential holiday markers to travel now.

VNAT is also planning to launch a groundbreaking e-marketing campaign targeting visitors from several key target markets, including Northern Europe and the countries participating in the newly expanded visa waiver program.

These online marketing campaigns will be conducted in partnership with the private industry and Is aimed at generating broader awareness about traveling to Vietnam and harnessing the growing power of social media to more effectively reach key target markets.

VNAT´s e-marketing campaign will also be coupled with other marketing strategies, including print and broadcast advertising, as well as trades shows and targeted exhibitions in key source markets. VNAT will continue to work with key stakeholders and agencies including Vietnam Embassies and Vietnam connections overseas.

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