Vietnam Welcomes 19.15 Million Foreign Tourists in 11 Months, Surpassing Pre-Pandemic Record
Hanoi, The Gulf Observer: Vietnam received 19.15 million international visitors in the first 11 months of 2025, marking a 20.9% increase from the previous year and surpassing its pre-pandemic peak of more than 18 million arrivals, according to official data released on Saturday.
In November alone, the country welcomed 1.98 million visitors, up 14.2% from October and 15.6% from November 2024. It was Vietnam’s third-strongest month of the year, following January and March—both exceeding two million arrivals.
The UN Tourism agency highlighted Vietnam as one of the world’s most remarkable tourism recovery stories. While tourism in the broader Asia–Pacific region has bounced back to only around 90% of pre-Covid levels, Vietnam—alongside Japan—stands out for its rapid and sustained growth.
A regional breakdown by the National Statistics Office showed that Asia remained the primary source market, contributing 15.10 million visitors in 2025, an increase of 19.7% year-on-year. European arrivals rose 37.8% to 2.46 million, the fastest growth among all regions. Visitors from the Americas totalled 993,700 (up 9.4%), Oceania 549,800 (up 13.6%), and Africa 51,200 (up 9%).
China remained Vietnam’s largest tourism market, sending nearly 4.8 million visitors, accounting for a quarter of total arrivals. South Korea followed with over 3.9 million visitors. Taiwan, the United States, and Japan completed the top five markets. India, Cambodia, Russia, Malaysia, and Australia rounded out the top ten.
Arrivals from China surged 43.1% year-on-year, while European markets posted strong gains following Vietnam’s relaxed visa policy. Russian arrivals rose sharply by 191%, reaching 593,000 during January–November.
Air travel continued to dominate, representing 84.5% of all foreign arrivals (16.2 million passengers). Land arrivals stood at 2.7 million (up 22.2%) and sea arrivals reached 228,800 (up 3.4%).
Growing tourist volumes boosted service-sector performance. Revenue from travel services in the first 11 months reached VNĐ85.4 trillion (about US$3.2 billion), an increase of 19.9%. Major destinations posted strong gains, including Hà Nội (23.4%), HCM City (22.3%), Quảng Ninh (18.2%), Vĩnh Long (14.1%), and Đà Nẵng (13.2%).
Accommodation and food-service revenue grew 14.6% to VNĐ767.8 trillion, supported by strong domestic tourism and the return of long-haul travelers.
Vietnam aims to attract 23–25 million international tourists in 2025.
