Vietnam expected international arrivals to reach 10 million in 2016, a landmark for the country, as the number of foreign tourists has surpassed 9 million so far this year.
Hanoi welcomed 3.2 million international tourist arrivals in the first ten months of 2016, up 23 percent year-on-year and close to the figure recorded in 2015 (3.36 million).
Visa exemption policy is one of the leading factors behind the growing number of international visitors, particularly those from Western Europe, to Vietnam this year.
International arrivals to Vietnam increased 17.8 percent against the same period last year to reach 3,248,634 at the end of April, according to General Statistics Office (GSO) figures.
More than 805,000 visits were made to Vietnam by international tourists in January, a 5.8 percent increase from last month and 12.3 percent surge from the same month last year.
Nearly three million foreign visitors have arrived in Hanoi from the outset of 2015, rising 14 percent from the same period last year, Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Do Dinh Hong said
International visitors to Vietnam are likely to burgeon from 8 to 18
percent should the Government create more favourable conditions for
visa waivers, said Vu Tien Loc, President of the Vietnam Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (VCCI).