An upturn was also seen in many other markets, including Europe with 8.1 percent, America 10.6 percent, Oceania 4 percent, and Africa 19.2 percent.
According to the General Statistics Office, the country welcomed about 15.5 million international visitors in 2018, an increase of 19.9 percent or 2.6 million over 2017.
HCM City led the country once again with 36.5 million visits, including 7.5 million foreign and 29 million domestic. Hanoi welcomed about 28 million visits, including 5.5 million foreign.
Notably, the northern province of Quang Ninh emerged as an attractive new destination this year. It attracted 12.5 million visits, including 5.3 million foreign, surpassing the central city of Da Nang with 7.7 million, including nearly 3 million international visitors.
Tourism revenue is estimated at 620 trillion VND (26.5 billion USD) in 2018, an increase of nearly 110 trillion VND against the previous year.
During the year, 380 new travel firms received international business licenses, while 4,678 individuals got new tour guide licenses. Currently, Vietnam has 28,000 accommodation facilities with over 550,000 rooms, a rise of more than 2,400 facilities against 2017.
For 2019, the tourism sector targets 103 million visits, including 18 million foreign. The sector is determined to complete the goal of becoming a spearhead economic sector one year ahead of the schedule.
