According to the latest data of the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, around 12.9 foreign tourists visited the country in 2017, a 29.1% increase compared to 2016.

December was the highest number within 2017 wherein 1.28 million international visitors entered Vietnam. This is equivalent to an 8.9% rise than in November of the same year, or a 42.2% year-on-year surge in tourist arrivals.

Those from Asia visited Vietnam the most with a 34.4% growth rate. Chinese tourists rose to 48.6%, South Korea by 56.4%, Japan 7.6%, Taiwan 21.5%, Malaysia 17.9%, Thailand 13% and Singapore 8%.

European visitors to Vietnam totaled 1.9 million, up by 16.6%. Russian tourists increased to 32.3%, while those from five Western Europe countries which were exempted from visas noticeably rose: United Kingdom by 11.3%, France 6%, Germany 13.6%, Netherlands 11.7%, Spain 20% and Italy 13.2%.

Tourists from the Americas grew to 817,000 or 11.1% increase since 2016. Of this, those from the United States reached 614,000, a 11.1% rise year-on-year. 420,900 Australians entered Vietnam (14.3% rise), while 35,900 Africans visited the country, up by 25.6%.

2017 was a good year for Vietnam in terms of tourism. A big part of this was probably due to the fact that it established specific policies to entice more tourists and investors into the country. Among these are: certain promotions; introducing Vietnam to many of the global tourism markets such as Australia, Japan, Europe and ASEAN; visa exemption for five Western Europe countries; more involvement in international tourism fairs; and welcoming foreign tourism delegations.

With this pace, it won’t be a surprise that Vietnam’s tourism will surge even higher in the years to come.