International arrivals in Vietnam surge over 12-fold year on year
Vietnam has welcomed nearly 4.6 million international arrivals in the first five months of 2023, soaring 12.6-fold from the same period last year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said on May 29.
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam haswelcomed nearly 4.6 million international arrivals in the first five months of2023, soaring 12.6-fold from the same period last year, the General StatisticsOffice (GSO) said on May 29.
Of the international arrivals, 88% cameto the country by air, 10.9% by road, and 1.1% by sea.
Revenue from tourism services went up89.4% while earnings from accommodation and restaurant services rose 22.1%, theGSO said, attributing the increases partly to many holidays during the fivemonths.
However, the number of foreignvisitors in May fell 6.9% from the previous month.
Foreign visitors to Hoi An city, a famous destination in the central province of Quang Nam (Photo: VNA)
Recently, Vietnamese tourism hascontinually been honoured by foreign media, helping enhance its attractivenessto international travellers.
Notably, Cat Ba of Ha Phong city has been given the second place among the 10most spectacular beaches in Asia by Microsoft Travel; Ninh Binh province named among the world's top 10 best hiddenfamily vacation spots to visit in 2023 by Canada’s The Travel magazine; and the North-South, or Thong Nhat (Reunification), railway listed one of the world’s mostamazing train journeys by the Australian version of renowned travel guide bookpublisher Lonely Planet.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese fried spring rolls (known as “nem ran” in the north and“cha gio” in the south in Vietnam) and summer rolls (“goi cuon”) are on thelist of 50 most popular appetizers in the worldcompiled by international food magazine Taste Atlas.
In May, Prime Minister Pham MinhChinh signed off the Government’s Resolution No 82/NQ-CP on the main tasks andmeasures for accelerating effective and sustainable tourism recovery anddevelopment. It specified many groups of measures for developing tourism into akey economic sector so as to turn Vietnam into one of the 30 countries with thehighest tourism competitiveness./.
Sea and island tourism has long been a magnet, attracting over 70% of the total foreign tourists to Vietnam. However, the country has yet to fully tap its potential and advantages to develop this type of tourism in a better way.
Vietnam welcomed nearly 3.7 million foreign tourists in the first four months of this year, or nearly half of 2023 plan, reported the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).
Vietnam’s tourism may attract 10 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, surpassing the target of 8 million previously set by the sector, according to deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Ha Van Sieu.
Will Vietnam's tourism see a boost soon? Industry insiders are optimistic about future prospects as the Government weighs up a 90-day e-visa to gain a competitive edge as a leading tourism destination.
A key change in the draft decree is a provision requiring bank transfers for gold transactions valued at 20 million VND (765 USD) and above, to enhance transparency and verify customer identities.
In the first four months of 2025, trade turnover between Vietnam and Cambodia surpassed 3 billion USD, marking a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
On June 19 alone, a total of 2,005 trucks completed customs clearance at Lang Son’s border gates — the highest single-day figure ever recorded in the province. Of these, 634 carried exports and 1,371 imports.
The OECD Economic Surveys: Vietnam 2025 report focuses on analysing the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals, the impact of international integration on attracting foreign investment and trade, and the country’s prospects for developing a low-carbon economy.
Antoine Colin, Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain Digital Transformation & Resilience at HP Inc., affirmed HP’s strategic commitment to building a supply chain and ecosystem in Vietnam and the region.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Trade Promotion Agency Bui Quang Hung emphasised that logistics has evolved from a technical function into a core capability for Vietnamese exporters to maintain their competitive advantage in the US market.
A trade official has suggested companies work closely with shipping lines, airlines, and freight forwarders to monitor routes, transit times, and potential surcharges while exploring broader cargo insurance to cover risks like war and terrorism.
In addition to institutional reform, the agency is also rolling out key solution groups to combat counterfeit goods, imitations, and intellectual property infringements in the digital environment.
The event, co-organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK and TT Meridian, a local importer of Vietnamese fresh produce, aims to build a national lychee brand and encourage broader recognition of Vietnamese fruits in a competitive, high-end market.
The industry's performance has been powered by bold investments in modern production lines, enabling Vietnamese firms to produce complicated products which were exclusive to advanced economies.
Outcomes of ABAC III will shape ABAC’s final policy recommendations to be submitted to the ABAC-APEC leaders’ dialogue, scheduled to take place in the Republic of Korea this November.
This is the second year the magazine has released the ranking, which is based on total revenue and key financial indicators of enterprises from seven countries in the region: Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Cambodia.
At the summit, publishing, tech, and media sectors will discuss emerging trends, business models, and sustainable solutions for digital publishing development in Vietnam.
This year’s “Vietnam Goods Week” marks a significant milestone as it is being held simultaneously for the first time in four locations across Asia: Japan, Hong Kong (China), Cambodia, and Malaysia, from June 19 - 22.
According to NordCham Vietnam Chairman Thue Quist Thomasen, the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses to contribute to green and sustainable growth.
The analysis from an investment perspective shows that the economy’s growth has been heavily capital‑driven, yet efficiency remains low as reflected by Vietnam’s Incremental Capital-Output Ratio (ICOR) being significantly higher than global and regional averages. This underscores the imperative to enhance capital‑use efficiency.
Illustrative image (Source: thanhnien.vn) 
Foreign visitors to Hoi An city, a famous destination in the central province of Quang Nam (Photo: VNA) 
