Vietnam – RoK tourism cooperation: two-way exchange of tourists for sustainable development

Enhanced bilateral tourism cooperation

This was the emphasis of Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) Vu The Binh, at a signing ceremony of the cooperation between the VITA and the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO), to boost the tourism cooperation between Vietnam and the RoK in Hanoi, on September 28.

Chairman of the VITA Vu The Binh said the signing ceremony reaffirmed the close cooperation between the VITA and the KTO. Previously, since the KTO set up a representative office in Vietnam, the two sides have promoted their cooperation; however, after the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and until now, this event has been the starting point for a new period of cooperation between the tourism sectors from the two countries with many deepened innovations.

“The RoK is always a key tourist market of Vietnam. On the contrary, Vietnamese tourists always choose the RoK as their favourite destination. This result is thanks to the long-standing good relationship between the two countries, as well as the close and growing cooperation between the cultural and tourism industries of the two countries”, Binh said.

The signing ceremony of cooperation between the VITA and KTO. (Photo: T.LINH)

The VITA’s Chairman said the RoK is among the markets where the number of tourists to Vietnam can grow quickly. Since the beginning of the year, a wide variety of practical activities were held to promote new tourism products to attract Korean visitors. After the outbreak of COVID-19, many things have changed, but for Korean tourists, the trend of sports tourism has been developing very strongly. Korean tourists have been very fond of golf tourism in Vietnam. In 2019, there were 1 million Korean tourists playing golf in Vietnam. It is hoped that the same number will be achieved this year, he added.

Lee Jae Hoon, Chief Representative of the KTO in Vietnam, said the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the RoK over the past 31 years has achieved extremely valuable results, including the strengthening of cooperation in all fields of politics, economics, society and culture. In particular, tourism plays a very important role in promoting exchange between the two countries.

Through the signing of this memorandum of understanding, it is hoped that the two sides can actively exchange information related to tourism, as well as human resources, market trends, and tourism policies in the two countries, towards contributing to improving the quality of Korean tourism products and serving the needs of Vietnamese tourists better, said Lee Jae Hoon.

Affirming that the exchange of visitors between the two countries will create a very high level in the near future because this is the goal that the KTO, VITA and the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) are aiming for, Vu The Binh said: "The connection between the two sides is growing. Only when the two-way exchange of tourists is accelerated can Vietnam-RoK tourism cooperation develop sustainably."

The connection between the two sides is growing. Only when the two-way exchange of tourists is accelerated can Vietnam-RoK tourism cooperation develop sustainably.

The VITA’s Chairman Vu The Binh

The two sides said that immediately after the signing ceremony, the two sides will work with each other to conduct several activities, including forming a delegation to survey the new tourism products in the RoK and the KTO, introducing the RoK’s tourism at the 2023 Vietnam International Travel Mart, in Can Tho City.

Vietnam is RoK’s leading customer market in Southeast Asia

At the signing ceremony, Lee Jae Hoon said by the end of September, it is expected that 310,000 Vietnamese people visit the RoK with an expected recovery rate of about 75% compared to 2019, including about 2,000 Vietnamese people visiting Vietnam during this period.

The number of Vietnamese visitors to the RoK is expected to reach 420,000 by the end of the year, equal to 85% compared to the same period in 2019. Among international tourist markets to the RoK, Vietnam is expected to rank fifth or sixth. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam ranks first in terms of number of visitors in the first 9 months of the year.

Lee added that many travel businesses in the RoK have attractive tour products for Vietnamese tourists. Especially since last March, Muan International Airport has implemented the 15-day visa exemption for Vietnamese tourists travelling in groups, when visiting the southern regions of the RoK such as Jeollanam-do, Jeju and Yangyang.

The KTO’s Chief Representative expressed his hope that the number of Vietnamese visitors to the RoK will recover quickly in the near future.

On the contrary, according to data from the VNAT, the RoK is still the largest market sending tourists to Vietnam. Korean tourists love Nha Trang, Da Nang and Phu Quoc. In particular, Da Nang is the most popular destination for Korean tourists because it has many flight routes and is suitable for families and young people. Meanwhile, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are suitable for Korean tourists coming to do business and play golf. Da Lat has begun to attract the attention of Korean tourists.

“We assess that the Vietnamese Government has a very relaxed visa policy for Korean tourists, helping to increase the length of stay of Korean tourists to Vietnam. Therefore, we estimate that from now until the end of the year, the number of Korean visitors to Vietnam will skyrocket," said Lee Jae Hoon.

We assess that the Vietnamese Government has a very relaxed visa policy for Korean tourists, helping to increase the length of stay of Korean tourists to Vietnam. Therefore, we estimate that from now until the end of the year, the number of Korean visitors to Vietnam will skyrocket.

KTO’s Chief Representative Lee Jae Hoon

According to the VITA’s Chairman Vu The Binh, the number of Korean visitors to Vietnam is expected to reach 3 to 3.2 million by the end of this year. In particular, the number of golfers can also reach approximately 1 million, close to pre-pandemic levels.

“In addition, currently many Korean businesses are operating and investing in Vietnam. The number of Koreans working in Vietnam is also very large and that is a large source of domestic tourists. Currently, tourism businesses are also promoting tours to serve Koreans living in Vietnam”, added Binh.