Southeast Asia has emerged as the most popular tourist destination for South Koreans planning on overseas trips in December, a leading travel agency said.

Hana Tour, the largest travel agency in South Korea, said that as of Wednesday, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations accounted for slightly over 54 percent of all reservations for overseas travel in the coming month.

The portion is up sharply from 34.1 percent for December last year. Japan followed with 18 percent, trailed by 12.8 percent for China. Last December, Japan claimed the top spot with 44.8 percent.

Among Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam is the top destination with 33.7 percent, thanks to the popularity of its famous resorts in Danang and other cities. Thailand and the Philippines came next.