Vietnam tourism on the rise

Tourism continues to recover strongly, a bright spot in Vietnam's economic picture in 2024 and the first 3 months of 2025.

Visa "magic wand"

Since the beginning of the year, the Government has issued two resolutions on visa exemption for citizens of 15 countries. That is Resolution No. 44/NQ-CP dated March 7, 2025, visa exemption for citizens of 12 countries with a temporary stay of 45 days, including: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. This policy is implemented from March 15, 2025 to March 14, 2028 and will be considered for extension according to regulations.

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Previously, the Government issued Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP dated January 15, 2025 on visa exemption for citizens of three countries: Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland with a temporary stay of 45 days from the date of entry for tourism purposes under the program organized by Vietnamese international travel service enterprises. This policy applies from March 2025 to December 31, 2025 under the framework of the Tourism Development Stimulus Program in 2025.

Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism - VH-TT-DL) said that Vietnam welcomed nearly 1.9 million international visitors in February 2025, equal to 90% compared to the previous month and 130% compared to the same period in 2019. In the first two months of 2025, Vietnam welcomed 3.96 million international visitors, an increase of 30% over the same period last year. Markets in Europe continued to grow impressively, especially markets enjoying unilateral visa exemption policies such as: Russia (up 104.3% over the same period last year), Poland (54.2%), Italy (31.5%), France (30.2%)...

The open visa policy will attract more tourists from Europe, who spend a lot of money and stay for a long time. Photo: HOANG TRIEU

According to Mr. Ho Xuan Phuc, General Director of HanoTours Company, when the visa exemption policy was expanded, international tourists were very excited. Many European tourists are planning a trip across Indochina. They come to Vietnam, then to Laos and Cambodia.

Dolphin Tour General Director Pham Minh Quang expressed his hope that the visa exemption policy will help businesses access many potential tourist markets, opening up many opportunities for trade and investment cooperation for tourism businesses. "This policy also creates jobs and develops local human resources," Mr. Quang said.

Spreading the image of Vietnam and its people

Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that the tourism industry's goal in 2025 is to welcome 22-23 million international visitors. With many policies being implemented synchronously by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, experts assess that this goal is completely achievable. In fact, promotional programs and an increasingly diverse system of Vietnamese tourism products and services are the driving force for the Vietnamese tourism industry to continue to attract more and more international tourists in the coming time.

Promoting Vietnam as a destination in the US under the theme "Vietnam - New Destination of World Cinema" is one of the large-scale tourism promotion programs of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The first results of this promotion program have been recognized when many Hollywood film crews chose Vietnam as the setting for their film projects this year.

A Hollywood film crew led by Ms. Rose Lam, Global Production Director of Riot Studios, recently visited and surveyed the scene in Vietnam and "chosen" Cat Ba, Hai Phong for their project. This is the unit that produced the globally famous "Game of Thrones" series; which has brought breakthrough growth to tourism in many countries such as Northern Ireland, Scotland, Morocco... During a working session with Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung, Ms. Rose Lam highly appreciated Vietnam's potential and believed that the film would create a positive effect. When the project starts filming here, it will contribute to spreading the image of Vietnamese tourism to international friends.

According to Minister Nguyen Van Hung, cooperation in the film industry not only helps promote Vietnam's creative industry but also contributes to introducing Vietnamese culture, people and tourism to international friends. This is an important step forward in the film cooperation relationship between Vietnam and Hollywood, opening up opportunities for Vietnam to become an attractive destination for international film crews.

Mr. NGUYEN CONG HOAN , General Director of Flamingo Hanoi Redtour:

Aiming at VIP customers

Expanding visa-free countries is one of the policies that tourism businesses are looking forward to. Along with visa openness, tourism businesses themselves are also looking for ways to approach international tourists from the European market and some high-spending markets such as Japan and Korea.

Flamingo Hanoi Redtour is targeting high-end tourists, also known as VIP guests. Focusing on super-rich guests will improve the revenue and profit of the tourism industry. In particular, VIP guests will attract the attention of the media and the public when traveling. This not only indirectly promotes but also contributes to ensuring the quality of the destination.

Mr. NGUYEN DONG HOA, Deputy General Director of Saigon Tourist Group:

Reduce prices, improve service quality

Nowadays, international tourists tend to like to explore unspoiled destinations, close to nature, and experience the lives of local residents. This creates opportunities for Vietnam to develop new tourism products, especially community tourism in unexploited areas.

However, Vietnam's tourism industry is under competitive pressure from countries in the region. In 2025, Vietnam aims to welcome 22-23 million international visitors, while Thailand is expected to welcome 40 million, Malaysia 31 million, Singapore about 18.5 million...

In fact, tour costs in Vietnam are higher than the average of other countries in the region. Therefore, it is necessary to apply appropriate solutions, improve service quality, reduce tour prices and domestic tourism products to compete and attract international visitors to Vietnam.

Mr. NGUYEN TIEN DAT , Director of AZA Tourism Company, Vice President of Hanoi Tourism Association:

How to get tourists to spend more

The new markets that the Government has exempted from visas are all high-spending markets. However, in order for tourists to spend more, we must promote communication so that people know about this policy as soon as possible.

Next, it is necessary to investigate the needs, habits and preferences of tourists in these markets, thereby offering tourism products that meet their tastes and encourage tourists to spend more.

L.Anh - L.Giang recorded

Great opportunity from APEC

In 2027, the 30th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum will take place in Phu Quoc City, Kien Giang Province. Mr. Dang Minh Truong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sun Group, said that this is a great opportunity for tourism in Phu Quoc in particular and Vietnam in general.

"This event will certainly attract the attention of international media, helping Vietnam become the center of world attention. Conference and exhibition activities on the sidelines of APEC 2027 will 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," Mr. Truong analyzed.

T. Phuong

Today (March 16), the charter flight route connecting 11 Russian cities with Cam Ranh International Airport (Khanh Hoa province) officially reopened. The expected frequency of flights from Russia to Khanh Hoa in March 2025 is 12 flights, from April to June is 50-55 flights/month and from July onwards is 90-100 flights/month.

Russian tourists stay for a long time, an average of 10-14 days. Each Russian tourist spends an average of 1,600 - 1,800 USD/trip, focusing on accommodation, shopping, and cultural experiences.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/du-lich-viet-nam-tren-da-but-pha-196250315202343854.htm