Foreign arrivals to Vietnam hit record high despite pollution, floods

Vietnam is on track to receive a record high of 21 million foreign tourists this year, reflecting the country's strong recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, its culture ministry said, despite chronic air pollution and deadly flooding.

With a long coastline, natural landscapes and a rich history and culture, Vietnam has emerged as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia.

The country on Monday marked the arrival of the 20 millionth foreign tourist of the year, with a ceremony held on Phu Quoc Island, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a statement late on Monday.

The number of foreign arrivals this year will beat the previous record of 18 million set before the pandemic in 2019, and is up 19.3% from last year, the ministry said.

Vietnam's capital Hanoi has this year topped the list of the world's most-polluted cities on several occasions, while other top tourist sites like Hue, Hoi An and Nha Trang suffered heavy flooding.

In 2021, Vietnam reported less than 160,000 foreign arrivals, the lowest in recent history, due to COVID-related travel restrictions.

China was the largest source of foreign tourists to Vietnam during the first 11 months of this year, accounting for a quarter of the total, according to data from the National Statistics Office.

Other major sources include South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and Japan.

-Khanh Vu/Reuters