Foreign visitors to Vietnam near 10.7 million in first six months, half of yearly target
HANOI – Việt Nam welcomed nearly 10.7 million international arrivals in the first half of 2025, marking an increase of nearly 21 per cent compared to the same period last year, and up 26 per cent compared to 2019 – the 'golden era' of Vietnamese tourism before COVID-19 pandemic struck.
According to newly released data from the National Statistics Office, in June alone, Việt Nam received nearly 1.5 million foreign visitors, down 4 per cent from the previous month.
The 6 months' figure stands at 49 per cent of the yearly target 22-23 million tourists, but it should be noted that the peak international tourism season in Việt Nam lasts from October to March.
Air travel remained dominant, with over 9 million arrivals by air (accounting for over 85 per cent of the arrivals total, and up by 22.7 per cent compared to the first six months of 2024), followed by nearly 1.4 million by land, and the remainder arriving by sea.
Asia remained the largest market, accounting for over 8.41 million visitors (over 78 per cent), marking a 21.1 per cent increase year-on-year. Arrivals from Europe rose 26.5 per cent to 1.34 million, while visitors from the Americas grew 8.6 per cent to 582,800.
Tourist numbers from Oceania reached 304,200, up 14.1 per cent, whereas arrivals from Africa edged down 0.3 per cent to 25,200.
Tourists from Northeast Asia account for 60 per cent of total international visitors to Việt Nam in the first half of the year. Chinese tourists continue to top the list with over 2.7 million arrivals, followed by South Koreans with 2.2 million. Next in line are visitors from Japan, Taiwan (China), the United States, and India.
In the opposite direction, more than 4 million Vietnamese travelled abroad in the past six months – a rise of nearly 54 per cent compared to the same period last year.
'Transport and tourism activities have surged to meet consumer demand both regionally and globally, making a positive contribution to economic growth. The value added by the service sector in the first half of the year rose by over 8 per cent year-on-year – the highest rate for the same period since 2011,' the statistics office noted.
According to a report by leading consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Việt Nam ranks among the world's top emerging tourism markets, alongside China, India, and Saudi Arabia. These markets are quickly overtaking traditional tourism powerhouses such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
The May edition of the World Tourism Barometer published by the United Nations Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism) revealed that in the first quarter of this year, Việt Nam recorded the sixth-highest growth in international arrivals worldwide – up 30 per cent from the same period in 2024. Within the Asia–Pacific region, Việt Nam ranked first, followed by Japan and the Republic of Palau.
Bloomberg reported that Việt Nam has emerged as the third most-visited country in Southeast Asia, with 17.5 million international visitors last year – surpassing Singapore and trailing only Malaysia (25 million visitors) and Thailand (35 million visitors).
Experts believe the growing number of direct flights from other countries to Việt Nam is one of the key factors fuelling the country's tourism boom.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Huawei seeks AI chip clients in Middle East, South-east Asia
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Huawei Technologies Co. is trying to export small quantities of AI chips to the Middle East and South-east Asia. BEIJING - Huawei Technologies Co is trying to export small quantities of AI chips to the Middle East and South-east Asia, an effort to establish a foothold in markets dominated by Nvidia Corp. despite ongoing manufacturing challenges. The hardware giant - China's strongest competitor to leading US chipmakers - has reached out to potential customers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Thailand about purchasing its older-generation Ascend 910B processors, according to people familiar with the matter. The two Gulf nations recently struck deals for well over a million Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. chips over several years. Thailand's artificial intelligence efforts similarly rely on Nvidia. Huawei is offering 910B volumes in the low thousands, according to the people, though the exact number for any particular pitch remains unclear. The company is also trying to woo customers with remote access to CloudMatrix 384, the people said. That's a China-based AI system built with more advanced Ascend 910C chips - which Huawei isn't currently prepared to export due to limited supplies, according to a person familiar with the company's thinking. Huawei is focused on selling 910Cs to Chinese firms that can't access best-in-class American chips, the person said. Huawei's efforts haven't produced any finalised deals, the people said - though they indicate the company, which Nvidia has called a formidable competitor, wants to give foreign AI markets a taste of its technology as it works to boost manufacturing output. The proposals also have garnered attention from policymakers in Washington, who want to ensure that the world builds AI systems using American, not Chinese, technology. US officials - and Huawei itself - estimate that the Ascend lineup trails Nvidia's offerings by a generation or more. Parties in the UAE - including the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence - haven't shown interest, the people said, while the status of talks in Thailand is unclear. Representatives for the UAE government didn't respond to requests for comment, while Thai officials didn't immediately respond on a public holiday. 'We can confirm that MBZUAI has had no engagements whatsoever with Huawei regarding the use of their hardware at the university,' a spokesman for the school said in an emailed statement. 'Any reports or assumptions to the contrary are inaccurate.' Huawei has also pursued a deal for some 3,000 Ascend chips in Malaysia, Bloomberg News has reported, though the status of that project is unclear. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, seems open to potential purchases - including by the Saudi Data & AI Authority or SDAIA, according to one person who described those conversations as advanced. The Saudi government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, while a SDAIA spokesperson said that 'at this stage, we're not in a position to provide a comment as the matter is outside our current scope.' A senior Trump administration official has said Huawei can only make 200,000 AI chips this year, which are expected to be delivered mostly within China, where demand exceeds a million processors. That number doesn't include a stockpile of 2.9 million Ascend 910B dies Huawei managed to source from production powerhouse Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. But Washington 'shouldn't take too much comfort in the fact that China's production of these advanced chips is relatively small, because we know they have global ambitions,' Commerce Under Secretary Jeffrey Kessler told lawmakers in June. Huawei declined to comment for this story, which is based on interviews with around a half-dozen people who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information. The company said earlier in 2025 it hasn't shipped Ascend chips to Malaysia, and the Malaysian government has also distanced itself from that private project. US officials are particularly focused on AI infrastructure projects in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, given those regions' technological ambitions as well as their longtime ties to Beijing – and Huawei. While many governments have sought to avoid picking sides in the US-China AI race, Washington has applied increasing pressure for those decisions by warning companies against using Huawei AI processors - while offering access to advanced American chips, but only under certain conditions. Those conditions, though, have yet to be determined. Nearly two months after the Trump administration said it would overhaul a Biden-era framework, officials remain divided on the national security implications of Nvidia and AMD sales to places like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The Commerce Department has drafted but not finalized a rule that would formalize its May announcement and extend licence requirements on AI chips to Malaysia and Thailand – but which doesn't constitute a comprehensive replacement to Biden's approach. The agency also hasn't approved chip shipments for billions of dollars in AI deals touted as part of President Donald Trump's May trip to the Persian Gulf, people familiar with the matter said. AI chip exports to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations have required US licenses since 2023. Nvidia declined to comment. AMD and the Commerce Department didn't respond to requests for comment. For Trump officials who have argued in favour of those projects, Huawei's attempts to export Ascend chips are all the more reason to move quickly – so that the company doesn't lock in customers now and then ship larger volumes in the future, people familiar with the matter said. But others remain worried that sizable exports of US chips could ultimately benefit Beijing, and argue that Nvidia's dominance gives Washington leverage to impose stronger security conditions on overseas data centres. In these officials' view, people familiar with the matter said, the fact that Huawei is only offering foreign customers a few thousand Ascend chips – and not even its best ones – illustrates exactly why the US can afford to take its time. In Saudi Arabia, where a state-backed AI fund has said it would divest from China if the US asked, the government has long collaborated with Huawei on AI initiatives. But it remains unclear whether SDAIA would move forward with an Ascend 910B deal – or how the US could respond. The Commerce Department earlier in 2025 said use of Huawei's Ascend chips 'anywhere in the world' could be a violation of US trade restrictions, which the agency says cover those processors because Huawei uses American technology in its production process. Amid backlash from Beijing, the Commerce Department removed that global reference, though the guidance still says that unapproved use of the Ascend 910B, 910C or 910D - a future Huawei model - may result in penalties from Washington. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
8 hours ago
- Straits Times
US senators warn Nvidia's CEO over upcoming China trip
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang was warned in a letter to refrain from meeting with companies that are suspected of undermining US chip export controls. SAN FRANCISCO - A bipartisan pair of US senators sent a letter to Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang on July 11 about an upcoming trip to China, warning the CEO to refrain from meeting with companies that are suspected of undermining US chip export controls. The letter from Republican Senator Jim Banks and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren asked Mr Huang to also abstain from meeting with representatives of companies that are working with the People's Republic of China's military or intelligence bodies and are named on the US restricted export list. 'We are worried that your trip to the PRC could legitimise companies that cooperate closely with the Chinese military or involve discussing exploitable gaps in US export controls,' the senators wrote. Mr Huang planned to visit China on July 11. An Nvidia spokesperson said, 'American wins' when its technology sets 'the global standard,' and that China has one of the largest bodies of software developers in the world. AI software 'should run best on the US technology stack, encouraging nations worldwide to choose America,' the spokesperson said. In May, at the Computex trade show in Taipei, Mr Huang praised President Donald Trump's decision to scrap some artificial intelligence chip export controls and described the prior diffusion rules as a failure. US restrictions in April on AI chips Nvidia modified to comply with export controls to China would reduce Nvidia's revenue by US$15 billion (S$19 billion), the CEO said. The hardware necessary to power advanced AI is now subject to a bipartisan consensus related to the free export of such hardware, the senators wrote. Advanced AI hardware could 'accelerate the PRC's effort to modernise its military,' the letter reads. US lawmakers have grown increasingly concerned about efforts to circumvent export controls to China and proposed a law that would force AI chip companies to verify the location of their products. In June, Reuters reported that a senior US official said the AI firm DeepSeek is aiding China's military and intelligence operations, and sought to use shell companies to circumvent US AI chip export controls to China. Nvidia is planning to launch a cheaper version of its flagship Blackwell AI chips for China, Reuters reported in May. REUTERS
Business Times
13 hours ago
- Business Times
Asian garment industry braces for higher US tariffs
ACROSS Asia, unions and industry groups are raising alarms over the impact of higher tariffs by the United States on garment workers. High tariffs might force companies to shut down or move to neighbouring countries that offer lower tariff rates, resulting in a loss of jobs, they say. 'The potential loss of jobs will cut the income and ability for workers to sustain their daily lives,' said Ath Thorn, vice-president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, which represents 80,000 workers across 40 factories. Several countries in Asia have gotten notice of new tariff rates imposed by the US to take effect on Aug 1, after a 90-day pause on tariffs came to an end. Manufacturing hubs such as Bangladesh and Cambodia will face high tariffs of 35 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively, while neighbouring countries are still negotiating with the US government. US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs through official letters posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Jul 8. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies. Sign Up Sign Up The US is the largest garment export destination for Bangladesh. The country's exports to the US totalled US$8.4 billion last year; of that, garments comprised US$7.34 billion. Also in 2024, Cambodia exported nearly US$10 billion worth of goods to the US, which accounted for nearly 40 per cent of the nation's total exports, according to government customs statistics. More than half of US imports from Cambodia were garments, footwear and travel goods, such as luggage and handbags, a sector that makes up nearly half of the country's export revenue and employs more than 900,000 workers. Unions and industry groups warn that these workers could be hit hard with job losses if the high tariffs force companies to move to countries under lower tariff rates or shut down altogether. While Cambodia is looking at a tariff rate reduction from 49 per cent in April, anxiety permeates its garment industry, which employs hundreds of thousands of people and is one of the developing nation's key economic pillars. Meanwhile, the US and Vietnam have struck a trade agreement that set 20 per cent tariffs on Vietnamese goods. With a neighbour next door with a significantly lower tariff, many companies may choose to leave Cambodia, said Yang Sophorn, president of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, which represents thousands of women who support their families as garment workers. The fear is echoed by experts in Bangladesh, which faces a 35 per cent tariff. Selim Raihan, a professor of economics at the Dhaka University, said if tariff rates on Bangladesh's competitors such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam prove to be lower, Bangladesh would face a serious competitive disadvantage. Such a disadvantage could make supply chain decision-making more difficult and erode the confidence of buyers and investors, Raihan said. 'As production costs rise and profit margins shrink due to the tariff, many garment factories may be forced to scale back operations or shut down entirely,' the professor added. In Bangladesh, the 35 per cent tariff announced by the US is more than twice the current 15 per cent rate on Bangladeshi goods. 'With more than doubling tariff rates, can you imagine how the cost of the products will rise?' asked Mohiuddun Rubel, a former director of Bangladesh's garment manufacturers' association BGMEA and now additional managing director at textile maker Denim Expert. The question is what happens to the tariffs for main competitor countries like India and Pakistan, said Rubel. The US is negotiating a trade deal with India, while reciprocal tariff rates for Pakistan have not been announced yet. Outsize effect on women Potential layoffs within the garment industry will have an outsize effect on women workers, which Sophorn said would cripple entire families. 'If these women lose their jobs because high tariffs force factories to shut, it will not only impact Cambodia's economy, but now children may not be able to go to school and aging parents may not be able to afford medicine,' she explained. 'The situation for women garment workers is already bad, but it will get worse if these tariffs were to come into effect.' Many of the women she represents have taken bank loans to support their families and work in the garment industry to pay off their debts. 'If they lose their job, it means they will lose everything,' Sophorn said. Tariffs would directly affect a sizeable chunk of the four million workers in Bangladeshi's garment industry, most of whom are women from low-income and rural backgrounds, Raihan said. Thorn suggested that Cambodia continue negotiations to get the tariffs down or find other ways to export more products, generate more income and create more work. 'If not, we will face problems,' he said. REUTERS
