A cruise ship takes visitors tour Ho Chi Minh City on the Sai Gon River. (Photo: VNA)

These two destinations earned high praise for their distinct cultural identity, stunning natural landscapes, and increasingly refined services.

Specifically, Ho Chi Minh City ranked seventh among the best cities in Asia Pacific. The ranking was topped by Tokyo, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Singapore; Seoul, the Republic of Korea; and Hong Kong (China), China.

A corner of Phu Quoc island (Photo: VNA)

Meanwhile, Phu Quoc earned the third place in the top 10 islands in the region. Other islands in the list include Bali, Indonesia; Koh Samui, Thailand; Palawan, the Philippines; Phuket, Thailand; and Langkawi, Malaysia.

According to statistics from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in the first quarter of 2025, the city welcomed over 1.63 million international visitors, an increase of 18.2% compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, data from the Kien Giang provincial Department of Tourism shows that in the first six months of 2025, Phu Quoc hosted over 4.4 million visitors, including 882,000 foreigners, up 33.3% and 76.7% year-on-year, respectively.