Vietnam is on the way to becoming an attractive destination for international tourists.

International visitors to Vietnam nearly doubled before the pandemic

Mr. Nguyen Huy Hoang, CEO of Klook Vietnam, said that Vietnam is on track to become an attractive tourist destination as the international tourist segment to Vietnam has recovered strongly, with soaring demand and increased average spending, showing that they are willing to spend more on experiences and tourism activities at the destination.

Ho Chi Minh City Book Street attracts many tourists to visit and buy books.

Specifically, in the first quarter of 2024, Vietnam's tourism industry recorded more than 4.6 million international visitors to Vietnam, an increase of 1.7 times compared to the same period in 2023 and 1.9 times compared to the fourth quarter of 2023. Notably, this figure has exceeded the pre-COVID-19 level (first quarter of 2019), marking a complete recovery of the international tourist segment to Vietnam. In addition, the average spending of international tourists also increased by 13%.

The top five key markets for international tourism to Vietnam in the recent period include: South Korea, Taiwan (China), Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines. These large and familiar markets continue to play an important role in Vietnam’s tourism industry. However, the most impressive growth has come from emerging markets.

According to Klook, Indonesian tourists lead the way with an 8-fold increase in demand for travel to Vietnam compared to the same period last year. Taiwan (China) follows with a 5-fold increase and Europe ranks third with a 4-fold increase. These figures show that the source of international tourists to Vietnam is significantly diversifying and Vietnam is gradually becoming more attractive to tourists from new and potential regions.

Da Nang, Ha Long, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc and Hanoi are the most popular destinations for international tourists. Notably, Phu Quoc witnessed the most outstanding growth with demand soaring 3.5 times compared to the same period in 2023. Hanoi followed with nearly 3 times growth.

International tourists are attracted by attractive attractions and interesting tours, including Sun World parks and entertainment complexes, VinWonders parks, Vinpearl Safari as well as Hoi An Memories show, Hoi An Impression theme park…

In addition, exciting tours to prominent destinations such as the Ba Na Hills day tour from Da Nang, the Ha Long Bay day tour by 5-star Cozy Bay Premium cruise, the Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta day tour from Ho Chi Minh City have also attracted the love of international tourists.

Vietnamese tourists love festival tourism

While Vietnam is becoming an attractive destination for international visitors, Vietnamese people prefer to explore new places in Southeast Asia. According to the Klook platform, the demand for foreign travel of Vietnamese tourists in the first quarter of 2024 increased by double digits compared to the same period last year.

This boom shows the strong demand of Vietnamese tourists to explore new destinations outside of Vietnam, in which Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia are the most popular destinations for Vietnamese tourists, followed by the "giants" in the Southeast Asian region such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

Based on VisaNet data, Ms. Dang Tuyet Dung, Director of Visa Vietnam and Laos, also said that the shopping and spending of Vietnamese tourists has grown significantly. Notably, the growth in international spending of Vietnamese consumers is double that of domestic spending. This growth is the result of the development in online shopping and the strong increase in foreign tourism, mainly concentrated in the Southeast Asian region.

However, according to Visa's cashless payment data report, for Vietnamese tourists, South Korea has emerged as the top leisure travel destination on the international tourism map, accounting for 24% of surveyed visitors in the past year; followed by mainland China (17%) and Japan (16%)...

Looking ahead, the tourism industry still has plenty of room for growth, with 41% of Vietnamese consumers planning leisure travel in the next 6 months. The top three destinations for the next 12 months are Australia and mainland China (both at 18%) and South Korea (17%). For business travel, the most promising destinations are mainland China (15%), South Korea and Australia (both at 14%), and Japan (12%).

Meanwhile, according to Klook’s data and research, Vietnamese travelers love to seek out unique experiences, with 42% of Vietnamese travelers wanting to travel to a destination for a specific event. This shows a strong preference for trips associated with cultural activities, festivals and music concerts, even once-in-a-lifetime events such as the 2024 Paris Olympics or the 2025 Osaka World Expo. The recent Songkran Festival in Thailand is also a typical example.

In the weeks leading up to the festival, Klook recorded a 30% increase in demand for travel activities in Thailand each week, demonstrating the power of cultural events in driving travel demand. Previously, Klook also recorded a 50% increase in demand for experiences in Singapore during Taylor Swift concerts, with spending valued at around 4-5 times the ticket price of the event. Accordingly, Vietnamese tourists do not only attend events or concerts, but also look for many different activities to explore cultural landmarks, iconic attractions as well as experience local cuisine throughout the trip.

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