Vietnam welcomes nearly 2 million foreign visitors

Vietnam's Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, and Phong Nha-Ke Bang have been named among the 16 most favourite UNESCO world heritage wonders in Southeast Asia by leading UK-based travel magazine Wanderlust.

In addition to developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector able to contribute 15% to gross regional domestic product (GRDP) by 2030, the northern province of Quang Ninh - home of the world heritage site of Ha Long Bay - is also striving to turn itself into a national tourism hub.

Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam has recently been named among the nine best city destinations with beaches in the world by the Hong Kong (China)-based South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched a project to promote the advantages of night products and services to help bolster the brand name to attract more visitors to the country, increase their spending, and extend their stay.

Foreign arrivals to Vietnam were estimated to have hit 6.6 million in the first seven months of 2023, surging 6.9-fold compared to the same period last year but still only 67.5% of the figure in the first seven months of 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.