The 20 millionth visitor to Vietnam: The starting point for a powerful new journey.

“Vietnam’s tourism industry has reached a historic milestone today: for the first time, we have welcomed 20 million international tourists in a single year. This is vivid evidence of the persistent efforts, innovative spirit, and aspirations of the entire Vietnamese tourism sector,” said Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong at the ceremony welcoming the 20 millionth international visitor, which took place this afternoon, December 15th, at Phu Quoc International Airport, An Giang province.

Industry leaders believe this milestone not only further affirms Vietnam's growing appeal on the world tourism map, reflecting a strong recovery, market diversification, and a focus on high-spending, long-stay international tourists, but also reinforces the growing confidence of international tourists in a safe, friendly, attractive, and experience-rich Vietnam…

A special gift for the 20 millionth customer.

The ceremony welcoming the 20 millionth passenger was intended to express gratitude and reaffirm that Vietnam is not just a destination for trips, but a destination for emotions, memories, and lasting connections.

Accordingly, the welcoming ceremony was held at two main points in the airport area, at the foot of the aircraft and in the airport lobby, with many meaningful activities. All passengers were welcomed at the foot of the aircraft with bouquets of fresh flowers and a ticket to the Kiss of the Sea show in Sunset Town (Phu Quoc).

According to the organizers, the prize for the 20 millionth visitor includes: A pearl necklace; a round-trip business class flight pass from Sun PhuQuoc Airways for two people on their next visit to Vietnam; a two-night stay in a luxury room or private villa at a 5-star hotel within the Sun Group system nationwide; a Michelin Star Gastronomy Pass voucher valid at Sun Group's Michelin-starred restaurants nationwide; two golf passes at Eschuri Vung Bau (Phu Quoc) valid for one year; a private sunset cruise to explore the islands in the South of Phu Quoc; and a WOW Pass valid for one year at all Sun World parks, worth 70 million VND.

Special gifts for the 20 millionth visitor. (Photo: CTV/Vietnam+)

The 19,999,999th and 20,000,001st customers also received valuable gifts, including: a pearl necklace worth 60 million VND; and vouchers for using high-end products and services within the Sun Group's system.

According to Deputy Minister Ho An Phong, choosing Phu Quoc as the destination to welcome the 20 millionth international tourist is highly significant. "Phu Quoc is not only a typical island and beach tourism center of Vietnam, but also a locality that possesses all the advantages of natural resources, modern infrastructure, and a comprehensive tourism ecosystem. It is gradually affirming its capacity to organize national and international events, aiming towards APEC 2027, and is a vivid representative image of the new development phase of Vietnamese tourism – greener, more sustainable, and higher quality," the Deputy Minister emphasized.

The starting point of a dramatic turning point.

The milestone of 20 million visitors is even more significant as it was achieved in the context of the global tourism industry having just gone through an unprecedented difficult period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Vietnam fully reopened its tourism industry on March 15, 2022, the industry has recovered and grown continuously: in 2023, it welcomed 12.6 million international visitors; in 2024, it reached 17.6 million; and in 2025, it is expected to welcome over 21 million visitors (far exceeding the 18 million visitors before the pandemic in 2019).

Deputy Minister Ho An Phong affirmed: “The breakthrough of Vietnamese tourism in recent times has been driven by groundbreaking policies on visas, expanding visa exemptions, implementing e-visas, extending the duration of stay; expanding air connections with key markets; strongly innovating promotion and marketing efforts towards modernization, applying technology and strengthening public-private cooperation; along with diversifying products, improving service quality and strengthening the effectiveness of state management, gradually building a professional, healthy and attractive tourism environment.”

Meaningful moments from the welcoming ceremony this afternoon, December 15th, in Phu Quoc. (Photo: CTV/Vietnam+)

Warmly congratulating the three lucky guests today, the leaders of Vietnam's tourism industry expressed their confidence that their experiences in Phu Quoc and Vietnam will leave beautiful memories in their journey. "We hope that you will continue to return to Vietnam and become 'tourism ambassadors,' spreading the image of Vietnam and its people to your family, friends, and the international community," the Deputy Minister said.

It can be said that the milestone of 20 million international visitors is not the end point, but the beginning of a new phase of development. Vietnamese tourism leaders are committed to continuing to innovate, improve product quality, accelerate digital transformation, and develop sustainable tourism, aiming to make tourism a truly leading economic sector by 2030, contributing increasingly significantly to the socio-economic development of the country.

With a growth rate of approximately 21%, Vietnam's tourism sector is considered by the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) to be among the fastest-growing in the world, in the context of an average global growth rate of only about 5% in 2025, 8% in the Asia-Pacific region, and the fact that global tourism has only recovered to about 90% of pre-pandemic levels.

In 2025, Vietnam will be honored for the sixth time by the World Travel Awards as the “World’s Leading Heritage Destination” and for the seventh time as the “Leading Destination in Asia,” along with many other prestigious awards for Vietnamese localities, destinations, and tourism businesses.

A special gift for the 20 millionth customer.

The starting point of a dramatic turning point.

Comment (0)