Vietnamese tourism accelerates in the race to attract international visitors

Spectacular breakthroughs

According to information from the National Tourism Administration, the number of international visitors to Vietnam in April reached 1.65 million. Although it cooled down compared to the first 3 months of the year due to entering the low season of the international market, this figure was enough to bring the total number of international visitors to our country in 4 months to 7.67 million, up 23.8% over the same period last year.

Vietnam is in the top destinations loved by international tourists.

PHOTO: NGOC DUONG

Notably, in terms of market size, China continues to be the largest market sending visitors with 1.95 million arrivals (accounting for 25.4%). The impressive return of this "regular customer" market not only contributed greatly to Vietnam's record-breaking achievement of welcoming international visitors in the first 3 months of the year, but also for the first time made Vietnam's "top competitor" Thailand worry about falling in rank.

According to Krungthep Turakij (Thailand), in the first quarter of this year, Vietnam welcomed a record number of Chinese visitors, reaching 1.6 million, up 78% compared to the same period last year. In contrast, Thailand only welcomed 1.3 million visitors from this country in the first 3 months of the year, down 24% compared to last year and marking the first time the Land of Golden Pagodas welcomed fewer Chinese visitors than Vietnam.

Faced with this information, many Thai travel agencies expressed concern that they will lose their position as the leading tourist destination in Southeast Asia to Vietnam in the next few years. Mr. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, Chairman of the Chon Buri Tourism Association, did not hesitate to tell the press that in the next 2-3 years, Vietnam could surpass Thailand in terms of total international visitors, based on factors such as a lower cost of living than Thailand; many new resorts and family-friendly amusement parks being built with cheaper prices than similar products in Thailand; package tours at hotels in Vietnam are even half the price in Thailand. In addition, according to this person, Vietnam is introducing many measures to support international travel agencies, especially those from Russia, cooperating to reduce airfares... This has caused many companies to switch tours from Phuket to Nha Trang this summer.

Russian tourists to Vietnam grow strongly every month

PHOTO: THE QUANG

Mr. Thanet Supornsahasrungsi's concerns are completely justified because Russia has just established a milestone to regain the leading position in the number of visitors from the European market to Vietnam when it continued to record a very good growth rate (+110.9%) in April. In total, the Russian market sent more than 166,000 visitors to Vietnam in the first 4 months of the year, higher than the UK (155,000), France (137,000) and Germany (125,000).

China and Russia were the two leading international tourist markets of Vietnam's tourism industry before the Covid-19 pandemic. For a number of reasons, these two markets have both declined regrettably in recent years. However, in recent times, the number of visitors from these two markets has continuously shown signs of strong growth. Although the absolute number has not yet returned to the level of 2019, the impressive recovery of these two major tourist markets is considered by tourism leaders to be extremely important, creating motivation and confidence for Vietnam's tourism industry to achieve major goals ahead.

In parallel, markets in Europe continue to grow steadily, including markets that enjoy unilateral visa exemption policies. Notably, according to Google Destination Insights, international searches for Vietnam tourism have grown by 10-25% since the beginning of the year, ranking 7th in the world . Vietnam is also the only destination in Southeast Asia in the top 10, far surpassing other competitors in the region such as the Philippines (#18), Singapore (#25), Thailand (#36), Indonesia (#37), Malaysia (#39).

Thus, Vietnam's tourism industry has witnessed impressive breakthrough events in the first months of the new year.

Ride on the wave

Catching on strongly, the tourism industry is coordinating very closely with the aviation industry, continuously opening direct flights connecting directly with key markets to "capture" visitors.

Top 10 customer sending markets in the first 4 months of 2025 (thousand)

SOURCE: COMPILED FROM STATISTICAL OFFICE DATA

On May 8, flight number VN63 with 254 passengers, reaching a 100% occupancy rate, departed at 9:45 a.m. from Noi Bai International Airport and landed at Sheremetyevo International Airport (Moscow, Russia) at 3:40 p.m. local time, marking the official re-establishment of the air connection between the two capitals of Vietnam and Russia after a 3-year suspension.

A representative of Vietnam Airlines said that the airline will operate the Hanoi - Moscow route with a frequency of 2 flights per week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. From July 2026, the airline plans to increase the frequency to 3 flights per week to meet the travel needs of people between the two countries. For Russian tourists, the Hanoi - Moscow route is a convenient bridge to experience the natural beauty and rich culture of Vietnam. At the same time, Russian tourists can continue to explore Southeast Asia from Hanoi.

Vietnam Airlines General Director Le Hong Ha emphasized: "The restoration of the direct flight route between the two capitals of Hanoi and Moscow opens the door for trade and exchange between Vietnam and the Russian Federation via air, while contributing to tightening the trust bridge between the two countries. This is not only a geographical connection, but also a symbol of the strong and growing cooperative relationship between the two countries." Vietnam Airlines leaders also assessed that Vietnam's 45-day visa exemption policy for Russian citizens and the mechanism by which Vietnamese citizens can apply for a Russian e-visa within just 4 days also create favorable conditions for two-way tourism. These factors, combined with the direct flight route connecting the two capitals, are expected to boost passenger growth this year.

Previously, within the framework of the Vietnam - Europe Tourism Promotion Program at the Salone Dei Tessuti Exhibition Center (Milan, Italy), Vietnam Airlines also announced the launch of a direct flight connecting Hanoi and Milan. According to the plan, the Hanoi - Milan route will be operated from July 1, using wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, with a frequency of 3 round trips per week.

Vietnam Airlines leaders emphasized: "The direct flight from Hanoi to Milan will shorten the geographical distance, creating favorable conditions for tourists to explore the beauty of both Italy and Vietnam. We are striving to realize the goal of welcoming 22 - 23 million international visitors in 2025, and Italy, with its great tourism potential and favorable visa exemption policy, is expected to be one of the important markets contributing to this success."

Director of the National Tourism Administration Nguyen Trung Khanh assessed that in order to achieve the target of international visitor growth very well in the recent past, in addition to the promotion programs of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, it is also thanks to the efforts of all ministries, sectors, agencies, localities and aviation and tourism enterprises. The linking of programs in key markets in parallel with the opening of new flight routes has created positive results in welcoming international visitors.

On the occasion of Vietnam Airlines opening a new route to Milan, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also organized two tourism promotion programs in the European market, then continued to coordinate to implement a program to promote Vietnamese cinema tourism at the Cannes Film Festival. From now until the end of the year, the tourism industry plans to implement seven large-scale market launching programs in key markets of Vietnam with the participation of localities and businesses in both tourism and aviation.

Overview of Vietnam tourism in April and the first 4 months of the year

SOURCE: NATIONAL TOURISM OFFICE

"In the coming time, the tourism and aviation industry as well as other ministries and sectors will continue to innovate the content, methods, and forms of organizing cultural and tourism events and promotional programs to position the national destination brand at major events abroad. From there, attract more international visitors to Vietnam," Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh added.

Enough "toys" for Vietnam tourism to rise up

Thais are concerned that Vietnam could surpass Thailand in terms of total international visitors on the basis of many cheaper costs, but in reality, Vietnam's tourism industry has many other "weapons".

Vietnam has Asia's leading luxury boutique hotel - Capella Hanoi; Asia's leading luxury wedding resort - JW Marriott Phu Quoc Resort... which have been honored at the World Travel Awards (WTA, considered the "Oscars of the tourism industry") in the Asia - Oceania region. Also at this award in 2020, the first privately invested airport in Vietnam - Van Don airport (Quang Ninh) excellently surpassed many strong candidates to win the award for Airport with the leading business lounge system in Asia. Cruise Passenger travel magazine also introduced Vietnam as one of the world's leading luxury destinations with attractive experiences.

In just a few years, Vietnam will have the largest theater in Southeast Asia - Blue Waves Theater located in Can Gio coastal urban area - Vinhomes Green Paradise, or Hanoi Opera House is considered the last masterpiece of the world's legendary Italian architect Renzo Piano. These are all iconic cultural works, promising to make Vietnam a destination for global artists, together forming a trend of international art and entertainment tourism.

The most anticipated event in the near future is the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, which will take place in Phu Quoc in 2027. This can be seen as a great opportunity for Vietnamese tourism to take the lead in new opportunities. Experts and tourism businesses all affirm that the APEC 2027 event is not only an opportunity for Phu Quoc to accelerate, change its appearance and establish a new position on the international tourism map, but also an opportunity to increase the recognition of Vietnam's tourism brand globally. APEC is an important economic forum, bringing together senior leaders and businessmen from 21 member economies, including the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, etc. These are all key tourist markets of Vietnam. In addition, this event will certainly attract the attention of international press and media, helping Vietnam become the center of attention of the world. Conference and exhibition activities on the sidelines of APEC 2027 not only help Phu Quoc, but also create conditions for the Vietnamese tourism industry to introduce its natural beauty, culture and tourism services to international friends.

Director of the National Tourism Administration Nguyen Trung Khanh affirmed that Vietnam has great potential for tourism development, especially natural resources, scenic spots, historical relics, cultural heritages, especially heritages recognized by UNESCO... Up to this point, Vietnam has identified tourism as a key economic sector, an important driving force to bring the country into a new era. However, in the international competition, Vietnam is still at a disadvantage in that it does not have national promotion agencies abroad. Competitors such as Malaysia and Thailand have up to 30 national tourism promotion offices abroad. Japan and Korea are the same. Vietnam, as an extremely important market for countries, also has up to 7 tourism promotion agencies of other countries located in our country.

"The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has completed two draft projects to establish national tourism promotion offices in a number of key markets and is synthesizing opinions from relevant ministries and sectors to advise the Government for consideration. At the same time, the Ministry is also implementing a foreign cultural strategy, including establishing Vietnamese cultural centers in a number of key markets and researching the integration of tourism promotion activities. With the growth rate of tourism in recent times and international recognition, strong internal movements, we have complete confidence in the resilience of Vietnamese tourism in the coming time," Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh emphasized.

Vietnam National Tourism Administration's website rises to 2nd place in Southeast Asia

According to similarweb.com (a website specializing in analyzing and ranking websites worldwide), in March, the website https://vietnam.travel/ of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism ranked 120,809 in the world and rose to 2nd place in Southeast Asia, just behind Thailand and above many famous destinations such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The website's rise reflects the positive effectiveness of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in innovating content, promotion methods, and enhancing the application of modern technology in accordance with the direction of the Government and the Prime Minister in Resolution 82/NQ-CP and Directive 08/CT-TTg.

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