The number of tourists visiting Vietnam in 2018 represented a 9.3% increase from 2017.
Of the 26 million visitors to Hanoi, 5.7 million were foreigners, with 60% coming from Asia and 24% from Europe. This year, the city expects to welcome nearly 30 million tourists, of which about 6.66 million will be foreigners, according to VietnamPlus.
It is estimated that tourism brought at least US$3.2 billion to the Vietnamese capital in 2018, an 11.7% increase from the previous year. In 2019, annual income from tourism is expected to reach US$3.7 billion.
Hanoi authorities have been striving to increase tourist numbers and place the city firmly on the world map by introducing new sporting events such as a Formula One in 2020 and the 2021 SEA Games.
The total expenditure for SEA Games 31 amounts to VND1.74 trillion (US$75 million). Meanwhile, the government also plans to go ahead with the construction of a horse racetrack which will offer sports betting at an estimated cost of US$500 million.
