Vietnam has once more achieved extraordinary success within the tourism sector. In the primary nine months of 2025, over 15.4 million foreign visitors visited the country, a rise of 21.5% in comparison with the identical period last yr.
According to the most recent report of the Central Statistical Office under the Ministry of Finance, roughly 1.5 million foreign tourists arrived in Vietnam alone in September 2025. While this figure represents a decline of 9.6% in comparison with August, it still represents a rise of 19.5% year-on-year, signaling a robust and sustained recovery trend.
Tourism is becoming a key economic factor
The contribution of tourism to the national economy is becoming increasingly visible. Revenue from accommodation and food services in January to September 2025 reached VND 624.4 trillion (about $23.7 billion), up 14.8 percent from the previous yr.
Major tourist cities recorded significant growth, led by Da Nang with a rise of 18.1 percent, followed by Ho Chi Minh City (18 percent), Can Tho (14.2 percent), Hai Phong (12 percent) and Hanoi (11.9 percent).
Meanwhile, revenue from tourism services rose to VND69.6 trillion, up 20.5 percent year-on-year. This reflects the positive knock-on effect of growing interest in Vietnam from foreign tourists.
Government strategy: from visa policy to global promotion
It is widely acknowledged that the Vietnamese government has successfully revitalized the tourism industry through a series of strategic measures. These include relaxed visa policies, extensive international promotional campaigns and large-scale national celebrations which have significantly increased visitor numbers.
In addition, local authorities have been actively developing recent tourism products and strengthening the image of Vietnam as a protected, friendly and authentic travel destination. Promotional support from Việt Namese embassies world wide also played a vital role in constructing foreign tourists’ confidence in visiting the country.
Tourism profile: Asia leads, Europe grows dramatically
Of all arrivals, 85.2 percent of foreign visitors arrived in Vietnam by air, accounting for 13.1 million people, a rise of 21.9 percent in comparison with last yr. Arrivals by land reached 2.1 million (a rise of 19.4%), and by sea (a rise of 15.1%) 190.6 thousand. guests.
Asia stays the most important source market, with over 12.2 million visits (up 20.9 percent), followed by Europe with 1.9 million (up 34.9 percent), the Americas with 800,000, Oceania with 445,000 and Africa with 40,700 arrivals.
The top five source markets are China, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States and Japan, with China leading the best way with almost 3.9 million visits. Notably, several emerging markets experienced extraordinary growth rates: Russia grew by 273 percent, the Philippines by 192.2 percent, Cambodia by 150.4 percent, Poland by 146 percent and India by 142.9 percent.
The exceptional growth in European markets could be attributed to Vietnam’s visa waiver policy introduced on August 15, 2025 for travelers from countries reminiscent of Belgium, Poland, Croatia, the Netherlands, Hungary, Switzerland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. This policy allows stays of as much as 45 days and has proven very effective in attracting large numbers of holiday makers from the region.
Ambitious goal: 25 million tourists in 2025
According to Phạm Văn Thủy, deputy director general of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the sector goals to welcome 25 million foreign visitors by the tip of the yr. To achieve this goal, Vietnam needs to draw a further 9.6 million tourists, or a mean of three.2 million visitors monthly through December.
“To attract foreign tourists, Vietnam must develop products that meet their expectations. Foreign guests coming to Vietnam are sometimes attracted by the country’s cuisine, natural landscapes, beaches and climate – all of that are the strengths of Vietnamese tourism,” he said.
However, to take care of this momentum, Vietnam must refresh its tourism brand identity to align with global travel trends. Once recent and distinctive tourism products are developed, stronger synergy between government and industry stakeholders shall be crucial for effective promotion and marketing.
