Chinese tourists returning to Vietnam

According to figures by the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) Vietnam welcomed 2.1 million Chinese visitors in the first seven months of 2024, showing a 200 per cent jump on-year.

Chinese visitors to Vietnam spiked in the first seven months of this year

Ha Van Sieu, deputy director of the VNAT, revealed that visitor exchanges between Vietnam and China have yielded positive outcomes post-pandemic, with the current conducive bilateral relations contributing to propelling travel between the two countries.

"Tourism between Vietnam and China is being heavily promoted, with Vietnam in particular expediting a wide range of promotion activities in China. VNAT will soon lead two Vietnamese delegations to promote tourism in Sichuan-Chongqing and Beijing-Shanghai, and attend the China International Travel Mart- CITM and China-ASEAN Travel Mart." said Sieu.

For its part, China has enacted policies on immigration aimed at improving tourism services and diversifying payment methods, while promoting the uniqueness of Chinese destinations in Vietnam.

For instance, two Chinese cities, Zhangjiajie and Nanning, held tourism promotions in Hanoi in August.

Speaking at the Zhangjiajie tourism promotion event on August 16, Trinh Dai Vi, counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, said, "Zhangjiajie has become an attractive destination for Vietnamese tourists recently as the city welcomed 42,200 visitors from Vietnam in the first half of this year alone."

Meanwhile, with the advantage of being adjacent to different Vietnamese localities such as Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lang Son and Quang Ninh, Nanning has become the top option by many Vietnamese travellers via road tours such as Hanoi-Mong Cai-Chongzuo Taiping Ancient City-Nanning, Hanoi-Huu Nghi-Nanning-Guilin-Yangshuo, or Mong Cai-Dongxing-Beihai, to name but a few.

For many years, China has consistently been the favoured market for Vietnamese tourism, accounting for about 30 per cent of the total number of international visitors coming to Vietnam.

Since the start of this year, tourism routes between Vietnam and China have become increasingly vibrant, as post-pandemic Chinese tourists are prioritising safe and close international destinations to save on costs.

A charter flight from Haiphong to Lijiang in China was launched in June, followed by the opening of a flight route from Hanoi to Haikou in Hainan, and most recently, West Air airlines opened a new flight route from Hanoi to Chongqing, with a frequency of three flights per week.

Pham Tien Dung, vice chairman of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club, believes that the rebound in the number of Chinese visitors could create an opportunity for Vietnam’s tourism to take off this year.

"However, local destinations looking to entice Chinese visitors need to target a better, more sustainable market with higher spending thresholds," said Dung.

Advocating this mindset, the CEO of Hanoi-based AZA Travel Nguyen Tien Dat said, "Tourism firms should focus on tapping the market of wealthy Chinese visitors who come from big cities like Beijing or Shanghai and spend several thousand yuan or more on a trip."

Exporters bullish amid robust figures Exporters of most major industrial products are posting upbeat results, with the electronics, footwear, wooden furniture, and garment and textile industries all witnessing a rebound.

Robust growth registered in foreign trade The total import-export turnover reached $439.88 billion in the first seven months, an increase of 17.1 per cent compared to the same period last year, with exports and imports rising by 15.7 per cent and 18.5 per cent respectively.

Fruit and vegetable exports experiencing robust growth Fruit and vegetable exports are expected to hit record highs this year amid strong growth in the first seven months and abundant supply as harvest season approaches.