Creating momentum for Vietnam tourism growth from the Russian tourist market

Currently, Russia is among the top 10 largest international tourist markets of Vietnam's tourism industry and is the fastest growing European market. In response to the booming Russian market, Vietnam's tourism industry is stepping up promotional programs, improving service quality and expanding air connectivity to attract and create more momentum for tourism growth from the Russian market.

Tạo đà tăng trưởng du lịch Việt từ thị trường khách Nga - Ảnh 1. — At Hon Chong beach, most of the tourists are Russian. Photo: Tien Minh/VNA

“Amazing” recovery

Before 2020, Russia was one of Vietnam's most important international tourist markets. According to tourism statistics, in 2019, Vietnam welcomed more than 650,000 Russian visitors, ranking 6th in the list of leading markets sending visitors to Vietnam. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Russian visitors decreased sharply.

In 2024, despite facing restrictions on international flights, the number of Russian visitors to Vietnam will still reach more than 232,300, recovering 36% compared to before the pandemic and growing nearly 85% compared to 2023. This is a positive signal showing the strong attraction of the Russian market to Vietnamese tourism, while opening up many new development opportunities.

Notably, Russian tourists stand out with their high quality, with an average stay longer than many other tourist markets. According to Ms. Hoang Thi Phong Thu (Pegas Mirs Vietnam Travel Company - a unit specializing in bringing Russian tourists to Khanh Hoa), Russian tourist groups to Nha Trang stay an average of 12 days. Russian tourists' preferences are fresh seafood, tropical fruits (mango, dragon fruit, banana, papaya, passion fruit, coconut, etc.) and coffee. They like to buy light industrial products and handicrafts from Vietnam such as ready-made clothes, handbags, pearls, lacquer souvenirs, and hand-embroidered items.

On average, each Russian tourist spends between 1,600 and 1,800 USD on their trip, focusing mainly on accommodation, shopping and cultural experiences. Revenue from Russian tourists makes an important contribution to promoting the development of Vietnam's tourism industry in general and creating economic momentum for localities that attract many Russian tourists.

With its pristine natural beauty, pleasant tropical climate and many unique experiences, Vietnam is emerging as an outstanding destination in the Asian region, attracting increasing interest from Russian tourists. Destinations favored by Russian tourists such as: Nha Trang, Phu Quoc, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat and Da Nang recorded a surge in search volume of up to 130%.

Notably, since March 2025, charter flights connecting 11 Russian cities with Cam Ranh International Airport (Khanh Hoa) have been reopened after a three-year hiatus. Direct flights between the two countries have been steadily increasing in frequency and passenger numbers, especially during the peak summer season – the golden time for the tourism industry.

According to statistics from Cam Ranh International Airport, in April 2025, the airport welcomed 144 flights from countries that were part of the former Soviet Union, double that of March 2025. Of which, Russian visitors accounted for the largest proportion. According to a report from the tourism industry of Khanh Hoa province, in the first 5 months of the year, it welcomed 121,000 Russian visitors, an increase of 192% over the same period in 2024.

Mr. Cung Quynh Anh, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Khanh Hoa province, affirmed that the restoration of direct flights from Russia to Cam Ranh (Khanh Hoa) has created a "boost" to increase the number of visitors from the Russian and Kazakhstan markets to Khanh Hoa.

Mr. Phan Dang Anh (Anex Vietnam Trade and Tourism Company Limited - Anex Vietnam) said that Vietnam is one of the few Asian countries that has quickly restarted charter flights to Russia. Favorable visa policies, safe destinations and the recovery of domestic tourism in Russia have made many people want to take long-term beach vacations. The year-round warm and sunny weather in some localities in Central Vietnam is very suitable to replace the traditional destinations that Russian tourists have chosen before.

The strong recovery of the Russian tourist market not only creates momentum to promote tourism in Khanh Hoa but also contributes significantly to the sustainable development of Vietnam's tourism industry in general. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Russia is currently the only international market to achieve a record growth of more than 139% in the first 6 months of 2025 with 260,000 visitors.

Strengthening cooperation and promoting tourism

Favorable visa policies between the two countries are creating an important foundation for the strong development of bilateral tourist flows. Currently, Russian citizens are exempt from visas when staying in Vietnam for no more than 45 days. In contrast, Vietnamese citizens can apply for an e-visa to Russia with a maximum stay of 16 days and the Russian side is considering officially approving the extension of this period to 30 days.

According to Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu, in addition to the visa exemption policy for Russian citizens, regular commercial flights and charter flights of Vietnam Airlines, VietJetAir (Vietnam) and Aeroflot, Azur Air (Russia) have resumed after a period of interruption. These are key factors contributing to creating favorable travel conditions and strongly promoting tourist exchanges between the two countries.

To continue expanding the Russian tourist market, Vietnam needs to strengthen solutions to support businesses and localities. In particular, it is necessary to consider creating more favorable conditions for issuing visas in the form of group visitors, expanding air connectivity - especially direct flights to new tourist destinations. At the same time, it is necessary to promote the sharing of information on policies, investment opportunities and tourism development experience between the two countries, thereby helping businesses proactively grasp trends and build products suitable to the tastes of Russian tourists.

At the same time, businesses and localities need to continue developing specialized tourism types such as health care tourism, culinary tourism, improving the quality of infrastructure and services for Russian tourists. In the period of 2025 - 2026, many Vietnamese tourism businesses and airlines are implementing plans to expand their flight network to Russian cities such as Kazan, Ufa and some other potential localities.

Not only stopping at facilitating policies, Vietnam and Russia also actively cooperate in promoting and advertising destinations. Many programs introducing Vietnam's unique tourism products and services have been held in major cities of the Russian Federation. In the near future, Vietnam is expected to organize a program of Russian cultural days with the participation of airlines and tourism businesses, which is expected to create a significant boost for bilateral tourism cooperation. With the current positive growth momentum, the Vietnamese tourism industry aims to welcome about 430,000 Russian visitors in 2025, nearly double that of 2024. Visitors from Russia will play an important role in helping Vietnam achieve the goal of welcoming 22-23 million international visitors in 2025.

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/tao-da-tang-truong-du-lich-viet-tu-thi-truong-khach-nga-20250723144924991.htm