Vietnam has drawn nearer to its target of welcoming 8.5 million international tourists this year, with the ten-month period arrivals surpassing the 8 million mark.

More than 8 million international holidaymakers visited Vietnam in the Jan-Oct period, a healthy 25.4 percent increase from the same period last year, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Saturday.

The Southeast Asian country enjoyed tourist number increases in most of the important markets, according to the newswire.

The number of Chinese tourists in ten months rose 55.2 percent year on year, whereas the respective growths from South Korea and New Zealand were 40.1 percent and 35 percent.

Arrivals from Thailand, the U.S., and Japan also rose 30.8 percent, 14.2 percent and 10.8 percent, respectively.

The launch of the Ho Chi Minh City – Auckland direct flight by Air New Zealand in June apparently contributed to the growth from the Kiwi market.

In October alone, 812,000 foreign tourists spent their holiday in Vietnam, up 23.3 percent from a year earlier.

Vietnam News Agency said the tourism sector grossed 331.5 trillion VND (US$14.4 billion) in the Jan-Oct period, spiking 19.1 percent from the same period last year.

Besides the 8.5 million foreign arrivals target, Vietnam also aims at having 60 million domestic travelers in 2016, and tourism revenue of 370 trillion VND ($16.8 billion).

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