Vietnam tourism sets record: 3 key factors to attract visitors

Vietnam welcomed more than 19 million international visitors in 11 months, surpassing the peak of 2019. Open visa policies, expanded flight routes and strong promotion were the main driving forces.

Vietnam's tourism industry has reached a historic milestone by welcoming more than 19 million international visitors in the first 11 months of the year, up nearly 21% over the same period and officially surpassing the record of 2019. According to data from the General Statistics Office - Ministry of Finance , in November alone, there were nearly 2 million arrivals, marking the third strongest increase of the year.

The United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) also recognized Vietnam as one of the countries with the fastest tourism recovery rate in the world, while the Asia- Pacific region in general has only reached about 90% compared to pre-pandemic times.

Vietnam's natural beauty is one of the main factors attracting international tourists.

Open visa policy is the main lever

According to UN Tourism, one of the factors that has contributed to the remarkable growth of Vietnam tourism is the new visa policy. The application of 90-day e-visas for citizens of more than 80 countries and the expansion of the visa exemption list have had a clear impact.

As a result, distant tourist markets, especially Europe and North America, recorded a surge in November. Specifically, the number of visitors from the US increased by 30.5% compared to the previous month, while Canada increased by nearly 56%. In Europe, major markets such as the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland all increased sharply. Notably, the number of visitors from Poland and the Czech Republic increased by nearly 256% and 149%, respectively. This is a group of tourists who tend to stay long and spend a lot.

The tourism information center said that the open visa policy has "resolved the biggest bottleneck" that once made many international tourists hesitate when planning a long vacation in Vietnam.

Enhanced air connectivity

The second growth driver comes from the expansion of aviation infrastructure. In 2025, many airlines have been opening more direct routes connecting Vietnam with North America, Australia, Europe and South Asia.

Expanding the flight network helps Vietnam appear more on the global tourism map.

This connectivity not only helps maintain a steady flow of visitors from traditional markets such as China, South Korea, Taiwan (China), but also promotes the acceleration of emerging markets. The number of visitors from India and the Philippines has increased by more than 47% and 84% respectively.

Vietnam’s three major urban centers, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang, have directly benefited from this. In 11 months, Ho Chi Minh City welcomed nearly 7.4 million international visitors, Hanoi welcomed more than 7 million, and Da Nang recorded 7 million international overnight stays.

Promote image and diversify products

This year also witnessed a breakthrough in promoting Vietnam’s tourism image. Digital media campaigns, cooperation with international platforms, along with a series of large-scale music, sports and cultural festivals have created “new highlights” to attract and retain tourists.

The Russian market is a typical example, with the number of visitors increasing by nearly 191% compared to the same period, reaching 593,000, becoming Vietnam's largest market in Europe. Travel companies said many major events, especially in coastal tourist centers, have contributed to strongly attracting this flow of visitors.

In addition, investment in new tourism products such as green tourism, health tourism and MICE tourism (conferences, seminars, exhibitions) has helped tourism revenue in 11 months reach VND85,400 billion, an increase of nearly 20% over the previous year.

Market outlook and structure

In terms of market structure, China still leads with 4.8 million arrivals, followed by South Korea and Taiwan (China). However, the rapid growth of distant markets shows that Vietnam tourism is gradually diversifying its tourist sources, reducing its dependence on a few traditional markets.

5 largest international tourist markets in Vietnam as of November this year. Source: CTK.

Experts say that if we continue to maintain an open visa policy, increase air connectivity, especially when Long Thanh Airport (Dong Nai) is about to enter phase 1 of operation, and step up promotion, Vietnam's tourism industry is fully capable of setting new records in 2026 and moving closer to the goal of becoming one of the top destinations in Asia.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/du-lich-viet-nam-lap-ky-luc-3-yeu-to-then-chot-hut-khach-3314046.html