Vietnam’s tourism industry generated around VND46 trillion in revenue this January, with a surge in domestic and international tourist numbers, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

Themed "ASEAN: Journey to Wonderful Destinations", ATF 2023 is the largest annual event held alternately among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Vietnamese tourism firms are concerned they will be losing out to regional rivals when it comes to attracting Chinese holidaymakers if favourable policies are not introduced.

Domestic tourism numbers hit 13 million in January, the highest in the last five years, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

The nation has been listed among the top 10 best places to go for a budget honeymoon in 2023 by prestigious global travel website Lonely Planet.

A key for Vietnam to attract more foreign tourists at this time is to change its visa policy, said Chris Farewell, a member of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB).

International visitors to Vietnam in January 2023 reached over 871,000 arrivals, an increase of 23.2 percent compared to December 2022 and 44.2 times higher than last year.

The ritual at Princess Huyen Tran Temple in Hue this year took place over the weekend at the Ngu Phong Mountain Complex, about 7km southeast of Hue.

2023 is a promising year for the tourism sector in terms of both tourist arrivals and revenue, according to Chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Trung Khanh.

The tourism sector served about 9 million domestic tourists in the week-long Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, up about 47.5% over the previous Tet, according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

The number of cruise tourists accounts for only 2-3% of the total number of international visitors to Vietnam.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has greatly impacted tourism management and business and led to the formation of new tourism trends like smart and innovative tourism.

Quang Ninh held a ceremony on January 22, the first day of the Year of the Cat, to welcome the lunar new year's first group of foreign tourists to Ha Long Bay.

Digital marketing and communication made positive contributions to the recovery of Vietnam’s tourism in 2022.

Vietnam is becoming a popular tourist destination for US holidaymakers, with more than 215,000 Americans visiting the country last year, ranking second behind the Republic of Korea in terms of arrival number.

At least two localities have stated they are ready to receive Chinese travelers after nearly three years of interruption because of Covid-19.

Vietnam needs to make efforts to change the perception of the country as a low-cost destination and lure more upscale Chinese tourists.

International tourism in Vietnam has not picked up as expected after the country reopened again to welcome visitors after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chinese travelers’ behaviors have become different after Covid-19. Vietnam needs to eliminate low-cost and zero-dong tours as Chinese now spend more money and demand high-quality services like European and American travelers.

The recent New Year holiday witnessed localities across the country welcome large numbers of foreign visitors, heralding in a busy year ahead for the tourism industry after enduring a gloomy 2022.