TOURISM EMERGES AS BRIGHT SPOT IN VIETNAM’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE

• 30/12/2025 08:23

In 2025, tourism was highlighted by the Prime Minister as a bright spot in Vietnam’s socio-economic landscape. Not only has the sector staged a strong post-pandemic recovery, it has also set new records in international arrivals, revenue and global tourism awards.

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The sector’s growth performance in 2025 has
created an important foundation for tourism to accelerate and make a
breakthrough, becoming a key pillar contributing to double-digit GDP growth from 2026 to 2030.

Strong rebound in visitor numbers

According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), in the first 11 months of 2025, Vietnam welcomed more than 19.1 million international visitors, up 20.9% year-on-year and surpassing its pre-pandemic peak in 2019. A ceremony marking the arrival of the 20 millionth foreign visitor was held in Phu Quoc Special Zone, in the southern province of An Giang, on December 15. This is the first time in the tourism industry's 65-year history that such as milestone has been achieved in a single year.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong said the 20-million mark not only affirms Vietnam’s position and reputation in the global tourism landscape, but also reflects market diversification towards higher-spending, longer-stay visitors. This supports the goal of tourism revenue reaching 1 quadrillion VND (38 billion USD) in 2025.

Thanks to sector-wide efforts, both international and domestic visitor numbers have risen sharply in key destinations such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ninh and Da Nang. Tourism has become an important driver of the recovery of many service industries and contributed significantly to local economic growth.

^{The number of foreign visitors to Hanoi in the first 11 months of 2025 increases by 25% compared to the same period last year (Photo: VNA)}

In Hanoi, foreign arrivals in the first 11 months of 2025 rose by around 25% year-on-year, led by visitors from Northeast Asian and European markets as well as domestic travellers. Cultural tourism, night-time activities and heritage-based tours linked with the Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake and the Thang Long Imperial Citadel helped extend visitors’ length of stay and spending. Tourism revenue increased 20.7% year-on-year, creating positive spill-over effects across accommodation, catering, transport and retail.

HCM City reported an estimated 8.5 million international visitors in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 39.3%, alongside 45 million domestic travellers, up 18.4%. Total tourism revenue is expected to reach 260 trillion VND, rising 36.1% year-on-year. The city reinforced its role as the country’s leading tourism, services and economic hub, benefiting from restored and newly opened international air routes and the strong recovery of MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) tourism. Vibrant shopping, dining, entertainment and night-time economy activities also contributed significantly to retail and services.

Quang Ninh continued to post steady and sustainable growth, with Ha Long Bay Scenic Complex, the Yen Tu relic site and the system of island tourism and entertainment areas remaining key draws. Investment in modern transport and tourism infrastructure has helped both increase arrivals and improve revenue quality. Meanwhile, Da Nang maintained its position as the central region’s tourism hub thanks to restored international flights and a packed calendar of festivals, sporting and cultural events.

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The UN Tourism Organisation assessed Vietnam as one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism markets in 2025, with growth of around 21%, compared with a global average of about 5% and 8% in Asia-Pacific.

Building momentum for the future

The positive performance in 2025 reflects the sector’s persistence in implementing strategic policies, including visa reform, product diversification, digital transformation and targeted promotion in key source markets such as Europe, India, China, the US, Australia, the Republic of Korea and Japan. The effective implementation of the tourism stimulus programme themed “Vietnam – Travel to Love”, along with activities held within the framework of the Visit Vietnam Year-Hue 2025 and the Vietnam Tourism Awards 2025, has also helped boost growth in both domestic and international visitor numbers.

Vietnam also continued to gain major international tourism awards in 2025, reinforcing its global profile. The United Nations Tourism Organisation recognised Lo Lo Chai and Quynh Son villages as among the world’s best tourism villages. Vietnam was honoured for the sixth time as the world’s leading heritage destination and for the seventh time as Asia’s leading destination.

The Dong Van Karst Plateau was named the World’s Leading Regional Cultural Destination 2025, Moc Chau Plateau was honoured for the third time as the World’s Leading Natural Destination, Tam Dao was named the World’s Leading Town Destination for the fourth time, and Phu Quoc was recognised for the fourth time as the World’s Leading Nature Island Destination. These achievements affirm Vietnam’s position on the world tourism map and create important momentum for the next phase.

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VNAT Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh said that with the involvement of the Government, ministries, localities and the business community, Vietnamese tourism has nowfully regained momentum, attracting 17.6 million international visitors in 2024 and an estimated 21.5 million in 2025, exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Total revenue surpassed 1 quadrillion VND, contributing around 8.8% of GDP, affirming the tourism industry's role in national economic growth.

For 2026, the sector is targeting 25 million international arrivals and 150 million domestic travellers, generating around 1.1 quadrillion VND in revenue. With the governmetn's determination, coordinated efforts of sectors, dynamic local implementation and active engagement from businesses, Vietnam's tourism is poised to accelerate, make breakthroughs and grow sustainably, moving toward becoming a a key economic pillar and enhancing the country’s position on the global tourism map./.