Indonesia and Vietnam are looking forward to tightening tourism links
According to the Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam Ibnu Hadi, Vietnam was a key market as 33 firms from Indonesia had arrived in Vietnam. Danang in particular and Vietnam, in general, are also attracting many tourists from Indonesia especially after the direct flight route from Jakarta and HCM City was established. In early 2019, the direct route to and from Danang was put into operation and further boosted tourism development in both countries.
Statistics from Vietnam National Administration show that the number of Vietnamese tourists to Indonesia last year reached 75,682 people, while 87,941 Indonesian tourists visited Vietnam during the same period.
Ibnu Hadi said that he hoped there would be more co-operation in tourism in the future so that the number of Indonesian tourists to Vietnam will reach 100,000. He also targeted 100,000 tourist arrivals from Vietnam to Bali and other cities.
Vietnamese firms were invited to participate in the 34th Trade Expo Indonesia this October. The Indonesian authorities will subsidise freight brought over for the event.
Total trade between the two countries increased gradually by more than 66% from 2016 to 2018, which reflects the effort of both governments. Indonesia and Vietnam target bilateral trade of USD10bn in 2020.