According to the recent publication titled "Vietnam Emerging as Southeast Asia's new tourist hot spot" by the German press Deutsche Welle, Vietnam has fast become one of the most popular destinations in Southeast Asia. Tourists coming to Vietnam enjoy the county's diverse landscapes, beaches, mountainous rice terraces, and bustling cities.

The popularity of Vietnam is shown in statistics reports. Out of six months of 2023, Vietnam was the seventh most searched destination from March to June, and the only country in Southeast Asia in the top 20, stated a report by Google Destination Insights. Also, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism announced in June that the country had welcomed over 5.5 million foreign visitors in the first six months of 2023, already exceeding the total number of international arrivals in 2022.

Ha Long Bay is listed among the top 10 must-visit Asian destinations by The Travel

The article also commented that there will be more tourist growth in Vietnam in the coming time.

Vietnam's tourist sector has set a target of 8 million visitors for the remainder of 2023, however, the tourism bureau has since predicted the numbers will likely rise even higher.

The boost is coming mainly from Chinese, Indian, and Korean tourists, said Bobby Nguyen, chairman of tour agency Rustic Hospitality Group

"China has reopened the outbound market to Vietnam and the Indian market has grown since 2022," he said, "Having many online communication channels such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or promotion channels on Google or other networking channels is also the fastest way to promote Vietnam's image to the world."

The use of social media and the influence of large travel groups have also helped boost Vietnam's international popularity (Photo: Screenshot from Netflix's A Tourist Guide to Love).

Another reason for the tourism boost is Vietnam's improved visa policy.

In particular, Hanoi recently approved a new visa policy for international visitors arriving in the country, tripling visa waivers from 15 to 45 days for selected countries. And for visitors from countries eligible to apply for an electronic visa to Vietnam, visas will now be valid for up to 90 days with single or multiple entries. The changes will come into force on August 15.

Industry experts say Vietnam is becoming a favored destination for travelers to Asia ( Photo: VOV)

Gary Bowerman, a tourism analyst based in Kuala Lumpur, said the visa changes will boost the tourism sector.

"It's picking up, and over the next six months, you will see travelers to Vietnam increase. I think it's going to be very strong, and you'll see growth particularly now the Chinese market is back," exclaimed Bowerman.

Still, Vietnam is considered to be a lesser-known destination in Asia. According to Bowerman, this opens both tourism and business opportunities for the country, adding that there is a sense of discovery and mysticism in Vietnam.

"[Vietnam] is the country where people want to invest, where they want to do business, and they want to travel," he added.

For travel companies in Vietnam, both local-owned and expat-owned, the new visa policy and the prospect of more international arrivals are exciting.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what happens," said Max Lambert, owner of Fuse Hostels & Travel.

Fuse launched two hostels in the popular city of Hoi An late last year, but Lambert already believes his company is operating near to what pre-pandemic levels would have been.

"We're seeing in the last three months a substantial uptick in the number of international guests staying in hostels," he told DW, adding that bookings are back to 2019 levels.

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