Vietnam tourism elevates its destination status.

Vietnam's tourism industry is proactively transforming itself through well-planned, long-term promotional and marketing strategies.

Foreign tourists visiting the Temple of Literature - National University ( Hanoi ). Photo: P. Sy

The 2026 tourism promotion program recently announced by the Vietnam National Tourism Administration aims not only to achieve growth targets in visitor numbers and revenue, but more importantly, to pursue a fundamental goal: enhancing the position and clearly defining the image of Vietnam as a tourist destination on the regional and international tourism map.

In 2025, Vietnam's tourism industry recorded impressive figures with 21.2 million international visitors, an increase of over 20% compared to the previous year; and 137 million domestic visitors, an increase of nearly 25%. Total revenue from tourism reached approximately 1 trillion VND, a growth of 19%, further affirming its role as a key economic sector in many localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Quang Ninh, Da Nang, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, etc.

These results provide an important foundation for the tourism industry to set higher targets for 2026: welcoming 25 million international visitors and 150 million domestic visitors. However, according to assessments by management agencies and experts, in the context of increasingly fierce global competition, quantitative growth is no longer the only measure. The quality of visitors, spending levels, length of stay, and likelihood of returning are the indicators that truly reflect the attractiveness and competitiveness of a destination.

Stemming from this requirement, tourism promotion and marketing efforts in 2026 are oriented towards strong innovation in both thinking and approach. The tourism industry is shifting from a recovery phase to a growth, competitive, and sustainable development phase, using tangible results as a measure, focusing on markets with rapid growth rates, high spending power, and a demand for extended stays.

Experts believe that to achieve the goal of welcoming 25 million international tourists in 2026, the tourism industry needs to simultaneously implement many systemic solutions, from improving institutions and enhancing product quality to innovating promotion and marketing efforts.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, to achieve the target of welcoming 25 million tourists, the tourism industry will implement many synchronized solutions, from perfecting the institutional framework to establish a solid foundation for tourism development to improving the quality of tourism products and services to meet the diverse needs of tourists. This includes strengthening state management and considering organizing tourism stimulus programs. Along with that, it will innovate promotion and marketing efforts, linking promotion with a more flexible visa policy, convenient air connections, brand positioning, and enhancing the comprehensive experience for tourists from the initial information access to the end of their journey in Vietnam.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/du-lich-viet-nam-nang-tam-diem-den-20260206155255181.htm