HCMC – The pent-up travel demand through the Covid-19 pandemic has given way to an increasing number of Vietnamese tourists flocking to South Korea.
According to the Korea Tourism Organization, South Korea received 80,000 Vietnamese visitors in the first eight months of the year 2022.
More Vietnamese are expected to come to South Korea during the peak fall travel season.
“This year, South Korea looks to attract 150,000 visitors from Vietnam,” said Nguyen Thu Ha, marketing director of KTO Vietnam.
She added that 2019, the year before Covid struck, saw 550,000 Vietnamese traveling to South Korea.
South Korea now offers a variety of travel activities to attract tourists to the country, including accepting multiple-entry visas, unregulating the number of Covid-19 vaccine shots and easing Covid-19 tests upon entry.
The Q-code system has now been integrated with the Vietnamese language to facilitate online declaration.
Besides Seoul, South Korea is drawing the attention of tourists to local attractions, of which Gangwon Province in the north of the country is considered a hotspot.
In October, the new Korean airline, Fly Gangwon, will open direct flights from Yangyang, Gangwon Province, to Hanoi and HCMC.
The visa exemption is meant for package group tours on arrival at the Yangyang International Airport on either charter or commercial flights.
The maximum length of stay in Korea with a visa exemption is no more than 15 days.
