Vietnam is expected to welcome 5.47 million person-times of foreign tourists in the first eight months of 2014, up 12.2 percent year-on-year, according to Vietnam 's General Statistics Office (GSO) on Wednesday.

In August alone, Vietnam is likely to receive some 618,600 person-times of international visitors, up 9.5 percent against the previous month and down 8.6 percent year-on-year.

During eight-month period, over 3.3 million person-times of foreign visitors come to Vietnam for tourism, resort, up 10.5 percent year-on-year.

Around 919,800 person-times among international tourists go on business to the country during January-August period, up 12.9 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, those who arrive in Vietnam to visit relatives are around 941,500 person-times, said GSO.

According to the GSO, Vietnamese tourism is expected to grow in most of its markets in the first eight months this year, including Germany (83.3 percent), Spain (up 24.3 percent), Laos (21.5 percent), Cambodia (up 20.1 percent), the United Kingdom (up 17.2 percent) and China (up 17.2 percent) among others.

However, decline in the arrival of visitors from China can be seen since May, for the Chinese government warned its citizens against traveling to Vietnam while China's Taiwan issued a "yellow " travel warning for Vietnam, and China's Hong Kong issued a red warning against travel to Vietnam.

In mid-May, a series of riots hit foreign companies in southern and central Vietnam, leaving four Chinese nationals brutally killed, around 20 foreign factories burned down and some 1,100 foreign companies affected.