Vietnam is increasingly attracting foreign tourists.

Set a record for the lowest mid-month

In early August, the pearl island of Phu Quoc ( An Giang ) was packed with visitors. From the north to the south of the island, a series of luxury hotels and resorts reported full rooms. Famous entertainment spots such as VinWonders amusement park, Phu Quoc United Center complex, Vinpearl Safari, Sunset Town... were bustling with large and small groups of vehicles taking visitors in and out continuously. Two unique shows "Tinh hoa VN" (performed every night at Phu Quoc United Center) and "Kiss of the Sea - Nu hon bien ca" (Sunset Town) filled the stands every night.

Notably, not only Vietnamese families take advantage of taking their "summer vacationers" out before the new school year begins, but many foreign tourists also enjoy the beautiful sunny days on the pearl island. If about half a year ago, many people coming to Phu Quoc thought they were going through Seoul because there were too many Korean tourists, now, Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, Russian, European tourists... are everywhere in Vietnam's "resort paradise". This is also proven by the impressive numbers recorded by the An Giang tourism industry.

According to a report from the Department of Tourism of An Giang province, in the first 7 months of the year, Phu Quoc welcomed more than 5.2 million visitors, an increase of 31.8% over the same period. Of which, international visitors reached nearly 980,000, a sharp increase of 74.1%. From May to July, although considered the international low season, the number of foreign tourists to the pearl island still reached over 350,000, an average increase of nearly 80%/month compared to the same period in 2024. The international tourist market, which is the pillar of Phu Quoc's long-term growth, is gradually stabilizing throughout the seasons, with key markets such as Korea, China, India and Europe increasing.

Foreign tourists visit Hoi An by bicycle

PHOTO: MANH CUONG

The latest report from Phu Quoc International Airport also shows that the number of Chinese visitors to Phu Quoc in the first 6 months of the year increased by 472% compared to the same period; visitors from Russia and CIS countries (Community of Independent States, former Soviet Union) achieved an increase of 311% and Korean visitors continued to increase by 178%. Along with that are the amazing growth figures from the Thai and Malaysian markets... The leader of the Department of Tourism of An Giang province commented that the stable growth momentum even in low months like July shows that the international and domestic seasonality of Phu Quoc is gradually fading, opening up favorable opportunities for investors in services such as accommodation, restaurants, and tourism experiences to approach the market in a more sustainable way.

Across the country, the concept of low season is also being erased when in the first 7 months of the year, Vietnam welcomed a record of more than 12 million international visitors, an increase of nearly 23% over the same period last year and continuing to exceed 25% of the golden period of Vietnam tourism in the same period in 2019. Data from the National Tourism Administration shows that in July alone, international visitors reached 1.56 million, an increase of nearly 7% over June and an increase of nearly 36% over the same period last year. Most markets recorded growth, of which Asia increased by 22.4% with the main driving force from large markets in the Northeast Asia region: China, Japan, Taiwan. Nearby markets in the region also grew positively, such as the Philippines increased by 99.1%, Cambodia increased by 54.4%. The two potential markets of Australia and India as well as markets in the European region continued to grow well.

The National Tourism Administration assessed this as a very positive signal because the peak tourist season for international visitors in Vietnam is usually from September - October to March - April of the following year, July is the low season for international visitors. In particular, European markets increased by 38%.

Big customers are willing to spend big

It is no coincidence that Vietnam has suddenly become famous, appearing every month in prestigious tourism rankings for the most attractive destinations in the world. Looking back, destinations that have made a breakthrough in international tourist growth in recent times have all recorded their tireless efforts in innovation and image transformation.

Returning to Phu Quoc after nearly 4 years, Ms. Nguyen Minh (HCMC) could not help but be surprised by the amazing changes of the pearl island. Although she "fell in love" with Phu Quoc because of its pristine and beautiful beaches such as Khem beach, Sao beach, Thom beach..., and admired the century-old constructions such as the world's longest oversea cable car system connecting to Hon Thom, in Ms. Minh's mind, Phu Quoc is still just a destination to sightsee, swim, eat seafood for 2-3 days and then return.

International arrivals to Vietnam have grown strongly despite the low season. In the photo: Tourists on the pearl island of Phu Quoc

PHOTO: TRUNG HIEU

However, on this return, Ms. Minh's family stayed in Phu Quoc for 5 days and 4 nights but still felt it was not enough. Besides the familiar itinerary such as going to Vinpearl Safari, VinWonders entertainment area in the north of the island, Phu Quoc United Center is a new meeting place that is truly a "city that never sleeps". Adults went to see the show "Tinh hoa VN" until 9 pm, while children stayed to watch the art lighting show, then walked around the bustling, trendy commercial streets until night. The vibrant festivals, parties and bustling entertainment centers of Venice, Shanghai, Night Market, Kstreet, Vietnam... operate non-stop 24 hours a day, creating a bustling and energetic feeling.

"The South Island has completely transformed. A series of super luxury resort brands have completely erased the image of a poor, shabby fishing village. The Kiss Bridge Phu Quoc, which has caused a stir in the global media, is now a classic proposal spot sought after by couples around the world. The day we arrived there, we also witnessed an Indian couple successfully proposing to the enthusiastic applause of hundreds of strangers. The South Island does not give visitors the opportunity to rest with the first night market in the world that "dares" to organize fireworks every night; the spectacular "Kiss of the Sea" show, impressive with a brilliant sky right above the heads of visitors. I have been to many countries, seen many shows, experienced many luxurious services, but I have to admit that the shows in Phu Quoc are not inferior to any tourist destination in the world. The content is even more special because it effectively incorporates the cultural, folk, and traditional values of Vietnam. Phu Quoc has completely transformed. The breath of life blowing into the destination is creating cohesion to "Tourists stay longer," Ms. Minh shared.

As Ms. Minh commented, Mr. HVQ, a tour guide specializing in leading tours to the south of Phu Quoc Island, said that every day, Sunset Town alone welcomes more than 4,000 guests. International guests are staying longer, sometimes up to 2 weeks or even a month, and are willing to pay a lot of money for unique experiences. "Once I led a group to the Sun Bavaria Bistro beer restaurant on the beach in the center of town, there was a Pakistani guest who said he wanted to book a special table in the best location in the restaurant, unfortunately the table was already booked. This guest then passionately said that he was willing to pay any price to sit in that position. Guests coming to Phu Quoc are now increasingly "rich" and do not hesitate to spend money on high-class services," Mr. Q said. These comments are also confirmed by the revenue of An Giang's tourism industry in 7 months, reaching 24,866 billion VND, an increase of 93.6% over the same period.

Foreign tourists visit and shop at Ho Chi Minh City Post Office in May 2025

PHOTO: NGOC DUONG

Nationwide, Vietnam's transformation from a low-cost tourist destination to a "magnet" for luxury tourists is evidenced by actual revenue growth. For example, Ho Chi Minh City, although still in the low season, after more than 1 month of merger, has welcomed nearly 700,000 international visitors, an increase of 75% over the same period, recording a 45% increase in tourism revenue, reaching more than 22,000 billion VND. Total revenue in the first 7 months of the year is estimated at more than 140,000 billion VND, an increase of nearly 30% over the same period in 2024, reaching more than 54% of the yearly plan.

Da Nang is also one of the tourism capitals with spectacular growth, reaching revenue of more than 31,000 billion VND in the first 7 months of the year, accounting for 20% of total retail sales of goods and consumer services, up 25% over the same period last year.

The 2024 Statistical Yearbook recently released by the Ministry of Finance also shows a remarkable improvement in international visitors' spending when coming to Vietnam compared to the previous period. If in 2022, the average spending per international visitor to Vietnam only increased slightly from 1,141.5 USD in 2017 to 1,151.8 USD in 2019, by 2023, this figure had increased sharply to 1,449.7 USD. Notably, while the accommodation, food, travel, shopping, healthcare, etc. sections did not record too many fluctuations, the other expenditure section accounted for the highest structural proportion and increased the most, from 8.1% in 2017 and 9.5% in 2019 to 18.6% in 2023. This shows that the entertainment activities that have been heavily invested in in recent times in many tourist capitals are bringing many diverse and attractive experiences, stimulating tourists to stay longer and have to "open their wallets".

Heading straight to the world's top destination

The leaders of the National Tourism Administration acknowledged that the growth in both quantity and quality of local tourism creates opportunities for Vietnam tourism to confidently achieve the target of welcoming 22-23 million international visitors this year.

"Tourism is affirming its role as a bright spot in Vietnam's economic picture. With favorable steps forward, we can be completely confident in achieving the goal of making Vietnam an attractive destination with high tourism development capacity in the world by 2025. By 2030, tourism will truly become a spearhead economic sector, developing in the direction of green growth; becoming a destination with leading development capacity in the world", the leader of the National Tourism Administration emphasized.

The confidence of tourism industry leaders has been further strengthened when the "big brother" of Southeast Asia's tourism industry, Thailand, has recently continuously sent out signals of concern about being "dethroned" by Vietnam. The Thai National Soft Power Strategy Committee believes that the country's tourism industry should not underestimate its regional competitors, especially Vietnam - a country that is investing heavily in tourism infrastructure such as high-speed railways as well as new attractions and luxury hotel chains.

Speaking at the SPLASH 2025 Soft Power Forum held in July, Ms. Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, Chairwoman of the Thailand Tourism Subcommittee, acknowledged that the plan to build a $67 billion high-speed railway connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City that Vietnam has just announced will strongly complement the country's inherent advantages, including a long and beautiful coastline, great potential for coastal tourism development, and at the same time attract more high-end hotel projects. If Thailand does not promote new investment in tourism, especially in artificial development projects, it will risk losing its competitive advantage.

Meanwhile, Mr. Kriengkrai Kanjanapokin, a member of the Festival Subcommittee, cited Ba Na Hills (Da Nang) as a typical example of systematic investment in tourism products. The famous Golden Bridge has helped tourists stay longer and spend more when traveling here. Da Nang has become one of the leading tourist cities in Vietnam thanks to these activities.

In general, in terms of natural resources, investment in high-class products, unique experiences, culturally rich and unique shows and festivals, Vietnam has the advantage to become a leading destination in the region as well as in the world.

According to the leader of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, in terms of quantity, localities have cooperated with tourism and aviation businesses in recent times and have been very proactive, positive and creative in communication, promotion and destination promotion, bringing the image of Vietnam tourism further into the international arena, reaching new markets to exploit effectively. In terms of quality, many localities have made efforts to build many new attractive and classy product sets, stimulating tourists to experience, stay longer and spend more money. Not only international visitors but also domestic visitors do not hesitate to open their wallets for entertainment activities, new and attractive experiences at destinations.

According to the General Statistics Office, in the first 7 months, total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue increased by 9.3% over the same period last year. Of which, revenue from accommodation and food services increased by 15% and tourism revenue increased by 20%. Not only the number of visitors increased, the rate of visitors staying and spending levels of visitors are also improving significantly, bringing "cash and cash" to many localities. Tourism revenue alone in the first 7 months nationwide is estimated at 52,800 billion VND, accounting for 1.3% of the total and increasing by 20% over the same period last year. Some localities with impressive revenue growth include Dong Nai up 31.5%; Lao Cai 28.4%; Ho Chi Minh City 23.4%; Hue 22.6%; Hanoi up 18.8%...

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/viet-nam-ngay-cang-thu-hut-khach-ngoai-185250807225616713.htm