Vietnam welcomes 19.5 million foreign visitors in 10 months

Vietnam had reached about 78 per cent of its 2026 target of 25 million international visitors by the end of October.

The Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) recorded 19.5 million arrivals from January to October, up 13.8 per cent on the same period in 2025.

For every four international arrivals, nearly three came from Asia.

The region’s total rose 7.3 per cent to 14.6 million, about 992,000 more than a year earlier.

Europe ranked second by volume, with 3.22 million arrivals, or 16.5 per cent of the total.

Its 51.5 per cent rise was the fastest of any region, and its gain of about 1.09 million visitors was the largest.

Russia was Vietnam’s biggest European market and third overall.

Arrivals from Russia rose 150 per cent to 1.25 million, making it one of only four markets to exceed one million.

China retained first place with nearly 4.4 million arrivals.

The Republic of Korea ranked second with 3.4 million, and Taiwan (China) was fourth with 1.07 million.

The 6.3 per cent decline in arrivals from the Republic of Korea underlined the need for continued policy support, tourism promotion and the development of new products to keep Vietnam competitive in this established market.

Among Vietnam’s other leading Asian markets, Japan accounted for 757,500 arrivals and India for 744,600.

Cambodia brought in 787,100 visitors, a rise of 43.2 per cent.

Arrivals from the Philippines grew faster, rising 52.4 per cent to 579,200.

Vietnam also drew 28.9 per cent more visitors from Singapore and 27.1 per cent more from Indonesia.

Beyond Russia, arrivals from Poland increased by 45.8 per cent, Switzerland by 23.1 per cent, the Czech Republic by 21.9 per cent and Sweden by 21.4 per cent.

Large markets and those growing rapidly both contributed to the overall rise.

Growth in nearby Asian markets is helping broaden Vietnam’s visitor base, while reaching more travellers in long-haul markets, particularly in Europe, is becoming increasingly important to the sector’s growth.

The United States accounted for 808,700 of the 1.04 million arrivals from the Americas.

The region supplied about 5.3 per cent of all visitors, with arrivals up 18.1 per cent.

Africa’s tally rose 30.7 per cent to 59,900, equivalent to 0.3 per cent of the total.

Australia supplied 543,000 of Oceania’s 602,700 arrivals, with its own tally up 21.3 per cent.

Visitor numbers from New Zealand rose 22.9 per cent.

Oceania as a whole recorded growth of 21.5 per cent and accounted for 3.1 per cent of all arrivals.

A safe, stable environment, favourable visa policies and more direct flights linking Vietnam with international tourism hubs helped make the country more accessible.

Vietnam’s rich natural resources and range of tourism products also helped sustain double-digit growth in arrivals.

VNAT said reaching the annual target would take substantial effort in the final two months of 2026, a period it sees as crucial to sustaining growth into the following year.

Local authorities and tourism businesses will need to work together to attract visitors, stage more cultural and tourism events, update their offerings and improve service quality.

The authority plans to continue promoting Vietnam through the end of 2026 in key markets including China, the Republic of Korea, India and Russia.

It expects the programmes to lift arrivals in the closing months of the year, strengthen those markets and build momentum for growth in 2027.

Source: Vietnam News