Vietnam welcomed more than 19,700 international arrivals in January 2022, an 11.2 percent year-on-year increase, mainly due to tourism pilot programs and resumption of regular flights, the country’s General Statistical Office said Saturday.
During the period, foreign visitors entering the country accounted for 88 percent of the total, followed by road at 11.9 percent and sea routes at 0.1 percent, respectively. Most arrivals came from Asia (70.2 percent), according to the office.
###: Passengers arriving in Vietnam no longer need rapid Covid-19 tests at airports
Vietnam closed its border and grounded all international flights in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing access only to Vietnamese returnees, foreign experts and highly skilled workers on special flights and with certain quarantine requirements.
The country has been operating quarantine-free tourism programs since November 2021 to welcome international visitors. From January 1 this year, it resumed regular commercial flights to a number of international destinations that are very safe from COVID-19.
Also Read: Insider’s Story: After all the countries I’ve visited, Vietnam is still number one in my heart for me
Vietnam received just 157,300 international arrivals in 2021, a 95.9 percent year-on-year decline, mainly due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the office said.
