Tour Nga- Belarus- 26/06/2026
The breakthrough journey of Vietnam’s tourism
From a modestly sized service sector with only about 250,000 international visitors in 1990, Vietnam’s tourism has risen to become one of the fastest-growing destinations in the Asia-Pacific region. After more than three decades of development and especially the remarkable recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, tourism has not only set new records in visitor numbers but also gradually affirmed its role as an important driver boosting the country’s economic growth.
From an emerging destination to Asia’s rising star
Along with the country’s innovation and integration process, Vietnam’s tourism has developed strongly, gradually asserting its position on the world tourism map. In 1990, Vietnam welcomed about 250,000 international visitors. With economic integration, improved investment environment, upgraded infrastructure, and increased promotion efforts, the number of international visitors has grown steadily over the years. By 2010, Vietnam welcomed around 5 million international visitors, 20 times more than in 1990. In the following five years, the tourism industry continued to maintain steady growth, reaching nearly 8 million international visitors by 2015.
From an emerging destination to Asia’s rising star
Along with the country’s innovation and integration process, Vietnam’s tourism has developed strongly, gradually asserting its position on the world tourism map. In 1990, Vietnam welcomed about 250,000 international visitors. With economic integration, improved investment environment, upgraded infrastructure, and increased promotion efforts, the number of international visitors has grown steadily over the years. By 2010, Vietnam welcomed around 5 million international visitors, 20 times more than in 1990. In the following five years, the tourism industry continued to maintain steady growth, reaching nearly 8 million international visitors by 2015.
Alongside the growth of international visitors, the domestic tourism market has also developed strongly and become an important pillar of the industry. From around 1 million visitors in 1990, domestic tourists increased to 28 million in 2010, reached 57 million in 2015, and about 85 million in 2019. The rapid rise in domestic travel demand not only reflects the increasingly higher living standards of the people but also helps drive sustainable growth for Vietnam’s tourism sector.
Spectacular recovery, breaking through to new heights
The Covid-19 pandemic that erupted at the beginning of 2020 seriously affected the global tourism industry, including Vietnam, causing international tourism activities to almost come to a standstill. In Vietnam, the reception of international visitors was temporarily halted during 2020-2021 to focus on pandemic control, with only domestic tourism activities maintained at times to meet safety requirements.
Spectacular recovery, breaking through to new heights
The Covid-19 pandemic that erupted at the beginning of 2020 seriously affected the global tourism industry, including Vietnam, causing international tourism activities to almost come to a standstill. In Vietnam, the reception of international visitors was temporarily halted during 2020-2021 to focus on pandemic control, with only domestic tourism activities maintained at times to meet safety requirements.
After fully reopening tourism operations in March 2022, along with implementing relaxed visa policies, restoring and expanding international flight routes, and boosting promotion efforts, Vietnam’s tourism has recovered strongly. In 2024, Vietnam welcomed around 17.6 million international visitors, equivalent to 98% of pre-pandemic levels. By 2025, the number of international visitors surged to nearly 21.2 million, up more than 20% compared to the previous year and far exceeding the record level in 2019, marking the highest milestone ever. The growth continued into 2026, as in just the first five months, Vietnam received nearly 10.7 million international visitors, a 20.7% increase compared to the same period last year.
Not only fully recovering after the pandemic, Vietnam’s tourism has entered a new growth stage, continuously setting unprecedented records, pushing Vietnam into the leading group in ASEAN both in scale and growth rate.
According to the ASEAN Secretariat, in 2025 Vietnam will be the country with the highest international visitor growth rate in the region. With 21.2 million international visitors, Vietnam has surpassed Singapore and Indonesia to rank third in ASEAN, only behind Malaysia and Thailand. At the same time, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) also recognizes Vietnam as one of the world’s top-growing destinations and leading the Asia-Pacific region in terms of recovery and international visitor growth.
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(Collected news)
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