With a surge in Chinese tourists, Vietnam's tourism industry sets a new record.

According to data released by the General Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance) on the morning of December 6th, in the first 11 months of the year, the total number of international visitors to Vietnam reached over 19.1 million, an increase of 20.9% compared to the same period last year. This is a record high, surpassing the 18 million visitors recorded in the whole of 2019 - the peak period before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Báo Thanh niên•07/12/2025

In November alone, Vietnam welcomed nearly 2 million international visitors, an increase of 14.2% compared to the previous month and a 15.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024. This was the third highest number of international visitors per month since the beginning of the year (January and March each reached over 2 million).

Chart of international visitors to Vietnam by month (thousands of visitors)

Source: Compiled by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism from data of the General Statistics Office ( Ministry of Finance )

Notably, November saw strong growth from North American markets, with the US increasing by 30.5% compared to the previous month and Canada by 55.9%. European markets achieved very impressive growth of 51.2% compared to the previous month, with Russia recording a 37.0% increase, the UK (+31.8%), France (+46.7%), Germany (+51.4%), Italy (+88.9%), Switzerland (+47.3%), the Czech Republic (+148.8%), Poland (+255.6%), etc. The National Tourism Administration believes that the strong growth in North America and Europe in November reflects the trend of attracting tourists from distant markets to Vietnam during the peak season at the end of the year.

In the first 11 months of the year, Vietnam welcomed 19.15 million international visitors, surpassing the 18 million mark for the first time in 2019. According to the latest report from the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), the recovery of Vietnamese tourism is particularly impressive considering that the Asia-Pacific region has only recovered 90% of its pre-Covid-19 levels. UN Tourism assesses Vietnam's tourism growth rate as among the highest in the world , along with Japan.

Top 10 customer referral markets in 11 months (thousand visits)

Source: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, compiled from data of the General Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance).

In terms of market size, China continued to be Vietnam's largest source market for tourists in the first 11 months of 2025 with nearly 4.8 million arrivals (accounting for 25.0%). South Korea ranked second, with over 3.9 million arrivals (accounting for 20.6%). Taiwan came in third (1.1 million arrivals), and the United States in fourth (766,000 arrivals).

Among Vietnam's top 10 markets are also Japan (754,000 visitors), India (656,000 visitors), Cambodia (614,000 visitors), Russia (593,000 visitors), Malaysia (510,000 visitors), and Australia (496,000 visitors).

In terms of growth drivers, the Chinese market saw strong growth of 43.1% year-on-year in 2024. Japan and the US also performed well (+15.0% and +8.4%, respectively). The South Korean market experienced a slight decline (-4.6%). Nearby markets in Southeast Asia showed high growth, including the Philippines (+84.0%), Cambodia (+48.5%), Laos (+30.5%), Malaysia (+15.7%), Indonesia (+13.8%), Singapore (+12.9%), and Thailand (+10.0%). The Indian market achieved a high growth rate of 47.2%, and Australia performed well with a 12.8% increase compared to the same period last year.

European markets continue to grow well, demonstrating the effectiveness of Vietnam's visa exemption policy.

In particular, the number of Russian tourists reached 593,000, an increase of 190.9% compared to the same period last year, affirming its position as Vietnam's largest market in Europe and also the fastest-growing market in the region.

According to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, this impressive result is due to favorable visa policies, intensified tourism promotion and marketing programs, and the organization of large-scale events in many localities, which have attracted a large number of international tourists to Vietnam.

According to the General Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance), revenue from accommodation and food services in the first 11 months is estimated at VND 767,800 billion, accounting for 12.0% of total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue, and increasing by 14.6% compared to the same period last year. Revenue figures for the first 11 months of this year compared to the same period last year in some localities are as follows: Ho Chi Minh City increased by 17.3%; Da Nang increased by 15.8%; Hanoi increased by 13.4%; Can Tho increased by 12.2%; Hai Phong increased by 11.6%.

Tourism revenue for the first 11 months is estimated at 85,400 billion VND, accounting for 1.4% of total retail sales of goods and consumer services revenue and increasing by 19.9% compared to the same period last year. This is due to the effective implementation of many tourism stimulus programs and diversification of tourism products to suit consumer needs by localities from the beginning of the year.

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