During the Tet holiday in 2024, the online travel platform Agoda noticed signs of recovery in the demand for mainland Chinese tourists traveling to Vietnam.
Chinese tourists come to Nha Trang. Photo: Cam Ranh Airport.
Agoda’s search data indicates that the volume of searches from China to Vietnam during the 2024 Tet holiday has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels. Chinese tourists’ interest in traveling to Vietnam in 2024 reached 95% compared to 2020 – the period before travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic were implemented.
Mr. Vu Ngoc Lam, Agoda’s Director in Vietnam, stated: “According to statistics from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, mainland Chinese tourists were the largest source of tourism revenue for Vietnam in 2019, accounting for nearly 1/3 of the total number of visitors to our country. The search figures for this Tet holiday almost reaching pre-pandemic levels is a positive signal for Vietnam’s tourism industry.”
In 2020, China ranked first in terms of searching for travel information in Vietnam. Tourists from this country choose Vietnam because of its rich culture and natural landscapes. However, the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak and border closures significantly reduced the number of visitors to Vietnam. After reopening, the search volume in 2022 and 2023 only reached 3% compared to 2020.
This year, the tourism landscape of Vietnam has seen some slight changes with Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Phu Quoc Island making it to the top 5 preferred destinations for Chinese tourists. The top 5 in 2020 were Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Phan Thiet.
Mr. Lam also added that Vietnam has successfully attracted tourists from new markets such as India and South Korea after reopening thanks to favorable visa policies.
Thanks to this diverse range of tourists, according to the General Statistics Office’s report, Vietnam achieved its total tourist target for 2023 in the third quarter of the same year.
@Znews