Why has Vietnam become a top attractive destination for international visitors?

Hoi An is one of the attractive destinations for international tourists when exploring Vietnam. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

Vietnam is becoming a “bright spot” on the world tourism map, loved and chosen by international tourists. Data compiled from the Google Destination Insights travel trend tracking tool shows that Vietnam has the 7th highest destination growth rate globally.

Experts say this is a positive result with significant contributions from a flexible visa policy, a diverse and high-class tourism product system, and the expansion of the international flight network of domestic airlines.

Visa policy “helps” growth

According to data from Google Destination Insights, the number of international searches for Vietnam tourism has grown by about 10%-25% since the beginning of the year, ranking 7th in the world. Notably, in the Southeast Asian region, Vietnam is also the only destination in the top 10, far surpassing other "competitors" such as the Philippines (ranked 18th), Singapore (ranked 25th), Thailand (36th), Indonesia (37th), Malaysia (39th).

Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Vung Tau, Da Lat, Phan Thiet, and Hue are the top 10 cities in Vietnam that are most searched by international tourists. Meanwhile, Vung Tau and Ninh Binh are the two destinations that recorded the highest growth (up over 75%).

Notably, visitors from the US, India, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, UK, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Hong Kong have the highest number of searches for Vietnam tourism.

Destinations chosen by many international tourists when coming to Vietnam.

According to research by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), visa exemptions can help increase international arrivals by 5%-25%, depending on the scale of expansion and the ability of the destination to accommodate. The ASEAN region, with its strategic geographical location and cultural diversity, is considered one of the regions that will benefit greatly from this trend.

In fact, in Vietnam, visa exemption for countries has been promoting the growth of international tourists, bringing significant economic benefits. Secretary General of the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB), Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh, assessed that as soon as Vietnam decided to exempt visas for 5 countries: the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy from 2016, it helped the number of tourists increase by 10.1%.

“In 2023, after Vietnam expanded its visa exemption policy by extending the stay from 15 days to 45 days for 13 countries, and the favorable e-visa policy with a stay of up to 90 days for all countries, the number of international visitors increased sharply. In 2024, Vietnam welcomed 17.6 million international visitors, recovering about 98% compared to 2019, with about 18 million international visitors. This is an impressive number compared to previous years,” said Mr. Chinh.

Figures released by the General Statistics Office on May 6 show that in April, Vietnam is estimated to have welcomed 1.65 million international visitors (an increase of more than 6% over the same period last year). In the first four months of the year, international visitors reached nearly 7.67 million (an increase of 23% over the same period in 2024). Thus, it can be seen that our increasingly open visa and immigration policies are a bright spot in the eyes of international friends.

Floating market, one of the unique "specialties" in the Mekong Delta. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

Why is Vietnam the top attractive destination?

Experts say that some factors that make Vietnam a favorite destination for international tourists, in addition to the open policy from the Government, include the diversity and attractiveness of its products, from cultural, natural, island, and city tourism, to new products such as agricultural, railway, health care, and sports tourism. These products all have great appeal to foreign visitors.

Although it may not be as good as that of developed countries, Vietnam's tourism infrastructure is increasingly being invested in and developed in a synchronous and modern manner, connecting air, road, and sea transport, and expanding direct flights connecting major cities in the world with Vietnam... which has helped facilitate international tourists' access to Vietnam.

In addition, Vietnam is a country with a stable security and order situation, which is one of the important factors that international tourists always prioritize. At the same time, the domestic tourism industry has recently actively implemented a series of tourism promotion campaigns in many key markets, promoting the image and brand of Vietnam as a destination to international friends.

In particular, these days, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is also organizing a program to launch a market to introduce Vietnamese tourism in three countries: France, Italy, and Switzerland (from May 3-14, 2025).

The magical beauty of Vietnam's nature. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

2025 is an important year for the entire industry with efforts to complete the goal of welcoming 22-23 million international visitors, contributing to the Government's GDP growth target of 8%. With the number of international visitors in the first 4 months of the year increasing by 23.8% (compared to the same period last year), along with the good news that Vietnamese tourism "surpassed" many competitors in the region to rank 7th in the world in terms of growth in destination searches, this has brought positive signals to the entire industry in the first months of the year.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/vi-sao-viet-nam-tro-thanh-diem-den-hap-dan-hang-dau-voi-khach-quoc-te-3356811.html