June 1
Vietnam saw 4.6 million international arrivals in the first five months, more than half this year's target of 8 million but just equal to 63 percent of pre-pandemic levels, Vietnam News reported on Wednesday.
During the period, foreign arrivals to Vietnam by air accounted for 88 percent of the total, followed by road with 10.9 percent and sea routes with 1.1 percent, respectively, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
Most of the arrivals in the first five months were from Asia, with around 74 percent, followed by tourists from Europe and the United States, data showed.
China surpassed the United States to become the second biggest market for Vietnam's tourism during the January-May period, after South Korea.
Over 398,000 Chinese tourists arrived in Vietnam over the period, said the GSO, adding that South Korea remained the top source of tourist arrivals with over 1.3 million visitors, while the United States ranked third with 307,000 arrivals.
Chinese tourists accounted for one-third of international arrivals to Vietnam in 2019, the year before the onset of the pandemic.
As the government stepped up measures to stimulate tourism to boost economic growth, Vietnam's tourism industry continued to show signs of recovery.
xinhua
