More foreign visitors are choosing Vietnam as a repeat destination, a new survey has found.

The 2017 survey done by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) found that nearly 60 percent of international arrivals were first-time visitors, while over 40 percent had been here at least two times. 

The survey results, announced at a recent press conference, covered 27,000 ballots at 12 international border gates in Vietnam - four airports, four land border gates and four seaports.

In their previous survey on international visitors done in the two last months of 2014, VNAT reported that 67 percent of respondents were first-time comers, 18 percent were second-time visitors, and the rest, or 15 percent, had paid more than two visits to Vietnam. 

The latest report also shows a high international tourist satisfaction rate at 93.4 percent. Package tour visitors accounted for 40 percent, while the rest were traveling on their own.

Those traveling by sea constituted the highest average spenders at $1,790 per guest. American guests followed with $1,525, Europeans with $1,295, and Asians with $995. The average length of stay for the visitors was 9.27 days.

In 2017, Vietnam welcomed nearly 13 million international visitors. In the first half of 2018, the number was nearly 7.9 million, a 27 percent increase over the same period last year, according to VNAT.

Tourism is expected to contribute 10 percent to Vietnam’s gross domestic product by 2020 when the country hopes to welcome up to 20 million foreign visitors and earn $35 billion in tourism revenues. Vietnam has set a target of receiving 15-17 million foreign arrivals this year.