Always in the top 4

Mr. Nguyen Chau A, Director of Oxalis Adventure Travel Company, said that American tourists always lead the total number of annual visitors that his company welcomes.

"Because of the limited number of guests that Oxalis serves each year, of which 12,000 - 15,000 guests are American, about 20% are American, followed by domestic guests with about 18%, the rest are European, Australian... American guests especially love nature, outdoor exploration, choosing tours that balance conservation and exploitation, so they often buy this type of tour without hesitation. 80% of our company's guests want to explore caves and come to Vietnam, American guests are the same and their journey often includes staying about 2 more weeks, having fun at other destinations in the country. American guests love the Northwest, Hanoi, Ha Long, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City, and the West," Mr. Chau A shared.

In 2008, Vietnam only welcomed about 150,000 American visitors, but by 2013, this number had increased to 433,000 visitors, ranking 4th after China, South Korea, and Japan. Since then, the number of American visitors to Vietnam has increased steadily and has always been in the top 4 largest international tourist markets of Vietnam.

In 2014, the number of American visitors to Vietnam increased to 445,000; in 2015, it was 493,000; in 2016, it reached 552,000; in 2017, it increased to 614,000; in 2018, it was 887,000 and in 2019, it reached 746,000.

However, the pandemic happened, the border closed, and when it reopened in 2022, American visitors immediately returned to Vietnam with 318,000 arrivals, second only to Korean visitors (about 900,000).

By the first 8 months of 2023, when Vietnam reached nearly 8 million international visitors, South Korea continued to be the largest market sending visitors with 2.2 million arrivals (accounting for 29% of total visitors); China ranked 2nd, reaching 950,000 arrivals, the US ranked 3rd with 503,000 arrivals, above Japan and many nearby visitor markets in Southeast Asia...

What do American tourists like about Vietnam?

Mr. Chau A said that the number of American tourists to Vietnam has never reached 1 million per year. This is too little compared to the potential and the number of American tourists traveling abroad every year. In 2019, there were about 45 million American tourists traveling abroad and nearly 1.2 million to Thailand…

"To attract more American and Western tourists, we need to have tourism products that meet their needs. For a long time, we have not really researched and built tourism products for the Western market, only having products for Chinese, Korean, Japanese tourists... Western tourists like to participate and immerse themselves in activities, explore local culture and Hoi An is the place that does this very well," Mr. Chau A analyzed.

Travel off Path, a US travel magazine, explains why Vietnam is becoming increasingly popular with American travelers. The magazine notes that since Vietnam fully reopened for tourism in early 2022, it became one of the first places in Southeast Asia to lift Covid-19 entry restrictions and welcome American travelers regardless of vaccination status. So much so that the reputable US-based online travel company Kayak has named Vietnam the top destination in Southeast Asia in 2023.

The newspaper highlighted Vietnam’s attractions for American tourists. Specifically, Vietnam is a country rich in culture with a tragic history that attracts tourists. Whether you were born before the 1970s and watched the news live on television, or were born in the 1990s and learned from textbooks, surely the iconic images of war in this country are imprinted in your mind.

With a heritage of thousands of years, Vietnam is a country full of novelty in a rapidly changing world. Besides, Vietnam is a destination with vibrant, somewhat chaotic cities. But that is the favorite of American tourists because it gives them a sense of adventure and discovery.

However, just step out of the city like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, visitors will encounter the picturesque countryside. In case visitors are passionate about exploring the forbidden palace, citadel, ancient ruins, go to Hue. The historic city in the Central region, where the majestic palace of the Nguyen Dynasty, magnificent temples and mausoleums still exist, is always a destination that is hard to miss when visitors come to Vietnam.

It would be a huge mistake to talk about Vietnam without mentioning beaches. Vietnam has many beautiful paradise beaches with postcard-perfect turquoise waters and luxury resorts with prices to suit every segment of tourists.

Finally, the paper argues, Vietnam is an incredibly affordable destination for middle-income Americans, with a lower cost of living that allows visitors access to luxuries they can’t afford in the United States.