HANOI, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam welcomed 9.2 million international arrivals in the first five months of this year, marking a 21.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year, the National Statistics Office reported on Friday.

Of the total, 7.84 million visitors arrived by air, accounting for 85.2 percent, followed by 1.18 million arrivals by road and 175,400 by sea.

Asia remained the largest source market, contributing over 7.2 million visitors.

European arrivals exceeded 1.2 million, while the Americas accounted for more than 496,900 visitors, followed by Oceania and Africa.

According to the office, the surge in international arrivals was driven by favorable visa policies, intensified tourism promotion campaigns and celebratory activities marking major national holidays.