Hanoi (VNA) – From a modest service sector in the early 1990s, Vietnam’s tourism industry has undergone a remarkable transformation. Record-breaking visitor numbers and tourism revenues not only reflect the country’s growing appeal as a destination but also underscore tourism’s increasingly important role as a driver of national economic growth.

Growing alongside Vietnam's reform and integration

In 2010, Vietnam welcomed around 5 million international visitors, twenty times the figure recorded in 1990. The industry maintained steady growth, with international arrivals reaching nearly 8 million in 2015. The Politburo’s Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW, issued in 2017, identified tourism as a spearhead economic sector, providing a major boost to institutional reform, investment and product development. The policy helped position Vietnam among the world’s fastest-growing tourism destinations, with international arrivals increasing at an average annual rate of 22% between 2015 and 2019.

Alongside the rise in international arrivals, the domestic tourism market also expanded rapidly, becoming a key pillar of the industry. Domestic trips increased from around 1 million in 1990 to 28 million in 2010, 57 million in 2015 and approximately 85 million in 2019. This rapid growth not only reflected rising living standards but also provided a solid foundation for the long-term development of the sector.

International tourism was temporarily suspended during 2020 and 2021 as Vietnam focused on containing the COVID-19 pandemic, while domestic travel resumed only when public health conditions allowed. The country fully reopened to international visitors in March 2022.

Supported by more liberal visa policies, the restoration and expansion of international air routes, and intensified tourism promotion campaigns, Vietnam welcomed around 17.6 million international visitors in 2024, equivalent to 98% of pre-pandemic levels. The recovery gathered further momentum in 2025, when foreign arrivals surged to nearly 21.2 million, an increase of more than 20% compared with the previous year and well above the record set in 2019, marking the highest annual figure so far.

Growth has continued into 2026. In the first five months of the year alone, Vietnam received nearly 10.7 million international visitors, up 20.7% year on year.

Tourism’s development is reflected not only in rising visitor numbers but also in its growing contribution to the national economy. From around 96 trillion VND (3.65 billion USD) in the 1990s, annual tourism revenue surpassed 1 quadrillion VND for the first time in 2025.

Highest international tourist growth rate in ASEAN

According to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance, the services and tourism sector expanded by 8.62% in 2025, contributing 51.08% of overall economic growth and accounting for 42.75% of the country's economic structure.

Vietnam’s tourism performance has been widely regarded as a bright spot at a time when the global tourism industry continues to face significant challenges, including geopolitical tensions, armed conflicts in several regions, slowing global economic growth, rising oil prices and higher travel costs.

According to the ASEAN Secretariat, Vietnam recorded the fastest growth in international visitor arrivals in Southeast Asia last year. Having fully recovered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country has entered a new phase of expansion, setting successive records and emerging as one of the bloc’s leading tourism destinations in both scale and growth. With 21.2 million international visitor arrivals, Vietnam surpassed Singapore and Indonesia to rank third in ASEAN, behind only Malaysia and Thailand.

UN Tourism has likewise recognised Vietnam as one of the world’s fastest-growing destinations and the leading market in the Asia-Pacific region for the recovery and growth of international arrivals.

Figures released by the Korea Tourism Organisation at the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026 showed that Vietnam attracted nearly half of all visitors from the Republic of Korea travelling to the region.

Meanwhile, according to travel technology and marketing company China Trading Desk, Vietnam has overtaken Thailand in attracting Chinese visitors, benefiting from its reputation as a safe destination, convenient transport links and a diverse range of tourist attractions.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong said tourism had become one of Vietnam’s new engines of economic growth. While the sector still holds considerable room for further expansion, it also remains vulnerable to natural disasters, disease outbreaks and external shocks. As a result, future development scenarios should include clearly defined objectives, policy measures and contingency plans tailored to different circumstances.

One of the sector’s current priorities, he said, is improving statistical methodologies to more accurately measure its direct contribution to the economy, as well as its wider spillover effects across other industries. This marks an important shift from measuring success by visitor numbers alone towards assessing quality, efficiency and the sector’s tangible contribution to economic development.

“Tourism not only generates value for the industry itself but also stimulates growth across many other sectors of the economy,” the official noted./.