Vietnam welcomed over 1.17 million international tourists in November, an increase of 14.4 per cent compared to October, bringing the total to 11.645 million in the first eleven months of 2017, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
In the January-November period, the number of foreign visitors rose 27.8 per cent year-on-year. Those from Asia grew 32.6 per cent. Almost all markets saw rising figures: China up 44.9 per cent, South Korea 55.3 per cent, Japan 20.9 per cent, Malaysia 16.5 per cent, Thailand 12.1 per cent, and Singapore 7.4 per cent.
The number of European tourists picked up 17 per cent, with those from Russia rising 34.8 per cent. Visitors from five Western European markets exempted from visas for 15 days also increased significantly: the UK by 11.3 per cent, France 6.7 per cent, Germany 14.1 per cent, Spain 19.8 per cent, and Italy 12.8 per cent.
This is the eighth time this year Vietnam has welcomed more than 1 million international visitors during a month. The figure for November was helped by Vietnam hosting the APEC Summit.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has estimated that Vietnam will welcome 12.8 million foreign tourists this year, an increase of 28 per cent year-on-year. Arrivals increased nearly 60 per cent last year against 2015.
Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien said that Vietnam would be able to catch up with Indonesia in tourism growth this year. It should accelerate its growth, he added, and attract more tourists and enter the Top 3 in ASEAN, which are now Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand.