Vietnam accounts for 98,000 long-term arrivals in South Korea as China falls to 2nd

Arriving travelers face no new border check, fee or visa procedure because of South Korea’s latest foreign-arrivals ranking.

Vietnam moves ahead in long-term arrivals

Vietnam became South Korea’s largest source of long-term foreign arrivals, with 98,000 entrants compared with 94,000 from China and 23,000 from the United States. The Statistics Korea released the figures July 9.

It was the first time Vietnam had ranked ahead of China since the series began in 2000. The data covers foreign nationals entering for stays longer than 90 days, not the broader tourist market. South Korea recorded 428,000 such arrivals in 2025, down from 451,000 a year earlier.

Employment and study drive the count

Employment visa holders made up 49% of Vietnamese long-term arrivals. Students and technical trainees accounted for 31.1%, while permanent residents and marriage-based immigrants represented most of the remaining 16.9%.

Vietnamese nationals planning stays beyond 90 days should still follow the standard employment, study, trainee, marriage or permanent-residence route covered in South Korea’s residency rules. The ranking doesn’t create a separate entry lane or change application requirements.

China still led South Korea’s short-stay tourist market during the first quarter and spring. The country received a record 4.76 million foreign tourists in the first quarter and passed 10 million arrivals by June 20, so the Vietnam-China reversal applies to migration and long stays rather than tourism overall.