Hanoi, Oct 2 (IANS): Vietnam welcomed 8.9 million foreign tourists in the nine months of 2023, exceeding the target of 8 million for the whole year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The number of foreign tourists to Vietnam from January to September witnessed a 4.7-fold increase compared to the figure of the same period last year, Xinhua news agency quoted the GSO as saying.

The figure was less than half the number of international arrivals to the Southeast Asian country before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, which was 18 million, reports Xinhua news agency.

Of the 8.9 million tourists, 87.5 per cent chose to travel by air, 11.8 per cent by road, and the remainder by sea.

Majority of the arrivals were from Asia (6.85 million), followed by Europe (1.015 million), Americas (682,800), Oceania (311,100), and Africa (20,400).

Vietnam looks to raise the foreign arrival target in 2023 to about 10-12 million tourists, Vietnam News reported on Monday, citing Vu The Binh, chairman of Vietnam Tourism Association.

Vietnam has seen positive figures in the number of foreign arrivals thanks to the government's new visa policy which took effect on August 15.

Tourists to Vietnam have the e-visa validity period extended to 90 days from 30 days.

Within 90 days after the e-visa is granted, foreigners can enter and exit Vietnam for unlimited times and without having to apply for new visas.