Vietnam’s golden year for tourism as foreign arrivals hit record
Vietnam says foreign arrivals topped 21 million in 2025, beating the pre-Covid record, but officials warn more work is needed for sustainable growth and to draw Chinese visitors.
Vietnam welcomed more than 21 million international visitors in 2025, setting a new all-time record and surpassing the pre-Covid peak by over 10%, local outlet VnExpress reported. The figure marks a major milestone for Vietnam’s tourism industry, even as global tourism overall is still recovering to about 90% of pre-pandemic levels.
Speaking at a tourism conference on Dec 27, 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed the need to restructure the sector to strengthen competitiveness and accelerate tourism’s development into a genuinely leading economic pillar.
To reach a target of 25 million international visitors in 2026, he said Vietnam must focus on three strategic pillars—institutions, infrastructure and human resources—especially as the global digital economy reshapes travel and services.
Nguyen Trung Khanh, head of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, said visa exemptions were the “key” to this year’s success.
In March, Hanoi extended visa-free entry until 2028 for citizens of 12 countries—Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and the UK—before adding 12 more in August: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Combined with bilateral visa-waiver arrangements, including those with ASEAN member states, the total number of visa-exempt countries has risen to 39. The government has also added 41 more entry points for foreigners, taking the total to 83.
Pham Hai Quynh, director of the Asian Development Institute, said this year’s success was not only about headline visitor numbers but also the diversification of source markets, helping reduce reliance on a small number of countries.
Vietnam has also continued to gain recognition from major international platforms, including the World Travel Awards, reinforcing its profile on the global tourism map.
Vietnam has upgraded tourism infrastructure significantly this year, with multiple airports, expressways and tourist ports opened or expanded, improving connectivity between destinations. Even so, authorities acknowledge that “sustainability” remains a major challenge.
Ha Van Sieu, deputy head of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, said a long-running weakness is the lack of a professional national tourism promotion agency. China is one of Vietnam’s most important source markets, but the country still lacks effective tourism promotion in major Chinese cities, he added.
On transport, while highways and ports have improved, over-reliance on air travel remains a key constraint.
Herbert Laubichler-Pichler, CEO of Alma Resort, said Vietnam still lags behind regional competitors such as Thailand and Indonesia in visa openness, and that there is more work to do.
According to the Henley Passport Index, Vietnam ranked 80th out of 227 countries and territories for travel freedom in 2025, reflecting its relatively limited visa-free access. By comparison, Thailand ranked 35th, Indonesia 48th, and Singapore an impressive 15th.
