In terms of the overall rankings detailed in the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024,  Vietnam was placed at 59th out of a total of 119 countries and territories with an average score of 3.96 out of seven. This marks a significant downgrade compared to 2022 when the country ranked 52nd with an average score of 4.1 points.

Among the figure, the index of socio-economic impact witnessed the nation stand at 115th out of 119 countries and territories, scoring 2.95 points.

However, the index didn’t accurately reflect the impact of Vietnamese tourism on socio-economic development because the WEF might not have updated statistical data on the local tourism sector during the 2021 to 2024 period, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

The authority also reported that the country waived visas for travelers from 25 countries, with 13 enjoying unilateral exemption. Since August, 2023, the country has issued e-visas for all nationalities and moved to extend their maximum stay from 30 to 90 days, with unlimited entries.

Vietnam recorded 12.6 million foreign arrivals last year, a 3.4-fold rise from 2022. The country aims to serve about 18 million international visitors and 110 million domestic tourists, as well as earning some VND840 trillion from the sector this year.

To improve the WEF’s TTDI, the Vietnamese tourism sector will co-ordinate efforts with competent agencies in a bid to update data so that the WEF can evaluate the index of socio-economic impact on tourism accurately.

The tourism sector will also pay close attention to preservation work, investment in infrastructure, and the stabilisation of tourism service prices in order to improve its position in terms of global tourism development rankings.