The number of Thai tourist arrivals in Viet Nam saw a sharp rise in the first five months of the year, according to the General Statistics Office of Viet Nam.

Thai tourists take photos at the Golden Bridge at the Ba Na Hill in Da Nang

Viet Nam has welcomed nearly 7.3 million foreign visitors so far this year, including 215,676 from Thailand.

The figure represents an increase of 47.5 per cent of Thai tourist arrivals compared to the same period last year.

It is the highest tourist growth-rate increase among all other countries.

According to tourism agencies, many Thai tourists prefer Da Nang because of its weather, ease of travel and location.

There are 56 flights from Bangkok and seven flights a week from Chiang Mai to Da Nang, according to the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The flights are operated by both local and Thai airline companies such as Vietjet Air, Bangkok Airways and Thai Air Asia.

Mr Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the Management Board of the Viet Nam TravelMart Joint-Stock Company, told Thanh Nien newspaper that Thai tourists were mostly independent travellers who do not need a visa to travel to Viet Nam.

They can easily book airline tickets and hotels on online websites such as agoda.com and booking.com.

The cooler weather at Ba Na Hills near Da Nang attracts Thai tourists, as well as other central destinations, facilities and services.

In addition, the Golden Bridge, listed among Time magazine's World's 100 Greatest Places in 2018, is another attraction.

Tourists from China, the largest tourism market for Viet Nam, slowed down in the first five months of the year.

The number of Chinese tourists was more than 2.1 million, an eight per cent decrease compared to the same period last year.

This year, Viet Nam welcomed 1.76 million visitors from South Korea, the country’s second biggest market, an increase of 22. 4 per cent compared to the same period last year.

(Source: VNS)