International visitor arrivals in Vietnam in the first half of this year have surged more than 21 percent year-on-year despite a drop last month, according to the general Statistical Office (GSO).
Figures of the GSO showed Vietnam has attracted more than 4.28 million international tourists in January-June though May saw 540,000 arrivals, down around 20 percent over April and 4.85 percent year-on-year.
Of the January-June figure, more than 3.42 million international visitors have entered the country by air, up more than 19.7 percent over the same period last year. The number of visitors coming by road has increased by over 46.7 percent to nearly 824,000.
According to the GSO, the country has recorded rises in almost all major visitor-generating markets of Vietnam in the period, with Hong Kong posting the highest growth rate of 40.6 percent, followed by Laos with 38.8 percent, mainland China with 37.5 percent, Cambodia with 31 percent, Russia with almost 26 percent, Spain with 25.7 percent and Britain with 20 percent.
The top five visitor-generating markets in the first half are mainland China with more than 1.13 million visitors, South Korea with 405,600, Japan with less than 318,000, the United States with 246,300 and Taiwan with 207,700.
Explaining a fall in international arrivals last month, experts said May was considered as a low season for the inbound market.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism put the number of domestic travellers in the first half at 23.4 million, rising by 6.9 percent over a year ago.
Saigon Times Daily
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