According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), over 100,000 Russian nationals visited the country in 2012. The number is expected to rise to 350,000 by 2015.
In June of this year alone, more than 17,000 Russian tourists visited Vietnam, raising the total number in the first six months of 2013 to around 154,000, a year-on-year increase of 60 percent.
Nguyen Manh Cuong, Deputy Director of VNAT said the number of package tours bought by Russians has increased sharply in recent years.
He said Russian tourists tended to choose tours to resorts and beaches, where they enjoy participating in water sports such as water-skiing, jet skiing, sailing, and scuba diving.
Most popular are beaches such as Nha Trang and Da Nang in central Vietnam and Phan Thiet and Phu Quoc in the south. Other famous destinations such as Ha Long, Sa Pa, Ninh Binh and Hue are failing to attract Russian tourists, however.
Experts point out that it is necessary to create links between tourist sites across the country in order to offer more choices to Russian holiday-makers.
The country’s travel agencies should also co-ordinate new tours to neighboring countries like Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand to make their deals more attractive to consumers.
