Ministries and businesses have put in a great deal of effort in luring international visitors to Vietnam, but the number of foreign tourists has always been lower than to other countries in the region.
Since March 15 this year, Vietnam has set a course for full recovery of international tourism. However so far, the numbers of international visitors are still very modest.
Vietnam officially opened all regular international flights on 15 February after nearly two years of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country also plans to fully reopen tourism activities from 15 March, which shows a positive move towards the recovery of both domestic and international tourism.
Vietnam recorded over 88,200 international visitors in the first half of 2021, plunging 97.6 percent year on year, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said on June 29.
As international tourism has not been resumed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, domestic tourism promotion is considered as the sole solution to gradually recover the tourism industry at the moment, said director of HCMC Department of Tourism Bui Ta Hoang Vu in Can Tho City on July 4.