The figure brought the number of foreign tourists in the first nine months of 2024 to over 12.7 million, up 43 per cent compared to last year's same period.

Tourists at the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex in Ninh Binh province. (Source: VNA)

Air arrivals accounted for nearly 10.8 million, representing 84.9 per cent of the total and representing an increase of 38.7 per cent year on year. Land arrivals reached nearly 1.8 million, accounting for 13.8 per cent, up by 68.1 per cent.

Breakdown by country, the Republic of Korea remained the largest source market in September, with over 355,000 visitors coming to Vietnam, followed by China with more than 257,000 visitors. Other top markets included Taiwan (China), Japan, and the US.

Overall, in the first nine months of the year, the lion's share of tourists to Vietnam is from Asia, with over 10.12 million arrivals (up by 47.7 per cent year on year), followed by Europe (over 1.4 million arrivals, up by nearly 40 per cent), Americas (736,600 arrivals, up 7.9 per cent), Oceania (391,300 arrivals, up by 25.8 per cent), and Africa (38,800 arrivals, with the largest increase of 90.7 per cent over the previous year).

The number of Vietnamese people traveling abroad in September 2024 was 421,800, a decrease of 15.9 per cent compared to last year.

In the nine months, the number of Vietnamese people going abroad reached 4.1 million, an increase of 6.1 per cent yearly.

At the end of September, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism (MOCST) successfully launched a tourism and cinema promotion program in the United States from September 23 to 25 under the theme “Vietnam- A New Destination for World Cinema”.

The program showcased Vietnam's tourism destinations and filming location potential, attracting Hollywood studios to film in Vietnam. These films are expected to generate international media attention, promoting tourism and attracting more visitors to the country.

Despite the decrease in visitor numbers in September, the tourism industry is determined to meet the goal of attracting 17-18 million international visitors this year, as the last three months are the peak season for international arrivals in Vietnam.

"Based on these factors, the goal of welcoming 18 million international visitors this year is achievable," said Nguyen Le Phuc, Deputy Director of the National Tourism Authority of Vietnam.

Phuc also remarked that the tourism industry in the northern region is recovering fast from the impacts of the super typhoon hitting the country in early September.

India is also among the fastest growing markets in Vietnam, especially high-profile events by the Indian elites, and many promotion campaigns in South Asian countries have been carried out.