Hanoi (VNA)🦋 – Foreign arrivals to Vietnam in July this year reached 846,311, a rise of 41.2 percent year on year, reported the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT).

The figure pushed the total foreign visitors to the country in the first seven months of this year to 5.5 million, an increase of 24 percent over the same period last year, according to the VNAT. Among the total, 4.66 million visitors arrived in Vietnam by air, while 86,321 others traveled by sea and 806,389 by road. An upturn was seen in almost all markets, with the highest rise in the Hong Kong market with 111.8 percent, followed by China with 54.5 percent, Thailand with 37.2 percent, the Republic of Korea , 37 percent, and Laos , 30.8 percent. Meanwhile, the total number of domestic tourists hit 38.2 million, as reported by the VNAT, revealing that the total revenue of the tourism sector was over 234.97 trillion VND (10.68 billion USD), up 22.9 percent year on year. In response to some travel firms’ concerns about the possible reduction of foreign tourists to Vietnam in the coming time due to visa policies and limited capacity of travel businesses, VNAT Director Nguyen Van Tuan affirmed that all the shortcomings of travel activities will be solved. All foreign visitors are equally welcomed in Vietnam, including those from China, an important market of Vietnam’s tourism sector, he stated. Tuan also confirmed no change in visa procedures, as well as entry, exit and residing policies for foreigners. The administration will continue reviewing all the policies and make necessary adjustments, he said. He also pledged to work to improve the capacity of domestic travel businesses by flexible support measures, including the strengthening of information provision in tourist destinations and the increase of Chinese speaking guides in those places. At the same time, Major General Le Xuan Vien, head of the Department of Immigration Management under the Public Security Ministry, said that 30 Republic of Korea nationals, more than 20 Russians, and 17 Chinese have been punished for providing tour guide services in Vietnam without permission. He pledged that the department will create the maximum favourable conditions for foreigners to enter and stay in Vietnam in line with the law. Deputy head of the Consular Department under the Foreign Ministry Nguyen Thi Huong Lan also confirmed that no discriminatory treatment has been applied to foreigners from any countries during the visa procedure processing.-VNA