White plum blossoms mark spring time in Phieng Bang valley. (Photo: VNA)

After more than two years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all tourism activities in Vietnam have returned to normal and experienced a remarkable recovery since the country's full reopening on March 15 last year, Ha Van Sieu, deputy head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), said on February 3.

He made the remarks at a press conference held within the framework of the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2023 in the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from February 2-5.

Last year, Vietnam welcomed a total of 3.66 million foreign visitors, 23.3 times higher than the 2021 figure. In January 2023 alone, the number of foreign tourists to the Southeast Asian nation reached more than 871,000, up 44% year-on-year.

The official said that Vietnam has a variety of tourism products. In addition to four main options, namely marine tourism, ecotourism, cultural tourism and urban tourism, it also boasts attractive complementary products such as luxury resort tourism, adventure tourism, wellness tourism, and golf tourism.

Introducing Vietnam's tourism policy in the post-COVID-19 period, Sieu said that Vietnam has resumed visa exemption for those from ASEAN countries, thereby helping people in the region travel easily. Its Government has also supported tourism businesses to reconnect with partners in the region through initiatives, tax and energy policies. Dissemination campaigns have been promoted, facilitating connections between tourism firms and international partners through attending international tourism events and forums.

At the press conference, representatives of VNAT and Binh Thuan province briefed participants about the Vietnam National Tourism Year 2023 “Binh Thuan – Green convergence” to be launched this March. With a series of activities taking place throughout the year, this event will suggest the trend of sustainable green tourism development, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnam's tourism in the region and the world.