Attending the meeting were Mr. Lee Jae Hoon, Chief Representative of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam; Mr. Lee Chang Kun, Vietnam Tourism Ambassador in Korea; leaders of functional units under the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh having a meeting with Mr. Park Jong Kyung - Consul General of the Korean Embassy in Vietnam (Photo: TITC)

Thanking VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh for spending time to meeting the delegation, Mr. Park Jong Kyung - Consul General of the Korean Embassy in Vietnam felt gratitude for Vietnam to have a wonderful 2023, with strong recovery, impressive results and prestigious achievements on tourism.

Consul General Park Jong Kyung is happy that Vietnam is now one of the world’s leading destinations and loved by international travellers. Currently, tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Korea is being promoted. Number of Korean tourists to Vietnam is rapid increase with stable growth rate. In 2023, there were about 3.6 million Korean visitor arrivals travelling to Vietnam. In the opposite direction, there were over 400 thousand Vietnamese visitor arrivals coming to Korea. From 2022, Korea becomes Vietnam's leading tourist source market. Favourite destinations of Korean tourists are the clusters of Hue - Da Nang - Hoi An, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, Da Lat, Phu Quoc; charter flights are also focused on operating to these destinations.

​Mr. Park Jong Kyung expressed a desire to receive the attention and cooperation from VNAT on promoting exchanging tourists activities between the two sides. He also made a  number of suggestions to attract Korean tourists to Vietnam, as well as bring the best experience to tourists such as: providing signs in Korean language; establishing 24/7 tourist support hotline; issuing policies to support Korean and international tourists in case of lost passports, improving the process of reissuing passports for tourists…

Overview of the meeting (Photo: TITC)

The Consul General of the Korean Embassy in Vietnam added, the bilateral agreement between Korea and Vietnam on the recognition of International Driving Permits (IDP) signed by both sides during President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Vietnam has taken effect. This is a factor that facilitates tourists from both sides travelling to each other. Mr. Park Jong Kyung hopes that Vietnam will create favourable conditions for deployment and support Korean tourists coming to Vietnam to drive vehicles safely.

Regarding the recent situation of Vietnam tourism, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh stated, Vietnam tourism in 2023 recovered strongly, growing in both the number of international tourists and total tourist receipts. Vietnam welcomed 12.6 million international visitor arrivals, served 108.2 million domestic visitor trips, and total tourist receipts reached VND 678.3 trillion.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh gifting souvenir to Mr. Park Jong Kyung - Consul General of the Korean Embassy in Vietnam (Photo: TITC)

​Mr. Park Jong Kyung - Consul General of the Korean Embassy in Vietnam gifting souvenir to VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh (Photo: TITC)

At the high-level tourism forum in ASEAN, Vietnam is considered to have the highest level of tourism recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Google's travel trend tracking tool, the number of searches by international tourists about Vietnam in 2023 will reach a growth rate of over 75%, ranking 6th globally. Vietnam is also honoured at prestigious award ceremonies for national, regional and world destinations.

​In order to remove difficulties and facilitate tourism activities, from 15 August 2023, Vietnam will officially issue electronic visas to citizens of all countries with a temporary stay duration of up to 90 days, valid multiple entries. Citizens of some countries who are exempted from unilateral visas to enter Vietnam will have a temporary stay duration of up to 45 days, an increase of 3 times compared to before.

In addition, localities across the country and key tourist destinations work closely with tourism businesses to build tourism products, increase promotion, and reconnect with target markets, including the Korean market.

Regarding the tourist exchange, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh said, Korea is Vietnam's largest source market. In the ASEAN region, Vietnam is also Korea's top destination. In 2023, the total two-way visitor exchange between Vietnam and Korea reached 4 million, recovering 83% compared to before the pandemic.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh gifting souvenir to Mr. Lee Jae Hoon, Chief Representative of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam (Photo: TITC)

​Mr. Lee Jae Hoon, Chief Representative of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in Vietnam gifting souvenir to VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh (Photo: TITC)

The cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Korea has recently received attention from all levels and sectors, achieving many important achievements. Tourism cooperation activities within the multilateral and bilateral framework are regularly and continuously implemented by the tourism agencies of the two countries. On the basis of Vietnam and Korea upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2022, VNAT and KTO signed a Memorandum of Understanding on tourism promotion cooperation between Vietnam and Korea for the 2023-2024 period in December 2022.

Regarding activities to support for ensuring security and safety for tourists, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh said, VNAT assigned Tourism Information Technology Center​ to develop the digital transformation ecosystem shared throughout the industry, including the National Tourism Application “Vietnam Travel” which provides comprehensive support for tourists through multi-utility integration such as: Search for tourism information, digital tourism maps, look up travel businesses, accommodation establishments, tour guides, book rooms, book tickets, make electronic payments, manage tours, report to agencies. Digital transformation activities in many localities are being promoted. International airports have begun applying online check-in and accepting online. Tourism promotion activities are actively deployed on digital platforms.

Delegates taking souvenir photo (Photo: TITC)

Also, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh inquires the Korean Embassy and KTO to advise the Korean Government to create favourable conditions for visa policies for Vietnamese tourists, and consider simplifying documents and requirements when submitting applications. In addition, VNAT will also discuss with KTO about the promotion plan of Vietnam tourism in Korea in 2024, requesting KTO to arrange a time to attend as well as coordinate information sharing and invite Korean businesses to participate.

To strengthen closer cooperation between the two sides, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh asked KTO to consider forming a meeting mechanism for the Vietnam-Korea Tourism Cooperation Committee with VNAT, holding regular meetings and alternately in the two countries to discuss measures to promote tourism and resolve problems.

Tourism Information Technology Center​