Ho Chi Minh City remains one of the top destinations for international tourists. (Photo: NDO)

According to the General Statistics Office, rising demand for tourism and consumer services during national holidays and the Tet (Lunar New Year) festival, along with the strong influx of international tourists, have contributed positively to the growth of the trade and services sector since the beginning of the year.

As a result, revenue from accommodation and food services has risen by 15.2%, while revenue from tourism and travel services having increased by 24.7% compared to the same period last year.

Of the total number of international visitors, air arrivals reached 7.84 million, accounting for 85.2% of total international visitors, representing a 23.6% increase compared with the same period in 2024. Land arrivals stood at 1.18 million, accounting for 12.9% of the total, up 10%. Meanwhile, sea arrivals reached 175,400, making up 1.9% of the total and increasing by 8% compared to the previous year.

In terms of market scale, China remained the largest source of international visitors to Viet Nam. In the first five months of 2025, 2.36 million Chinese tourists visited Viet Nam, accounting for 25.7% of the total number of international visitors.

The Republic of Korea followed as the second-largest market after China, with 1.9 million arrivals, 20.7% of total international visitors.

The top 10 international markets for Viet Nam’s tourism sector also included Taiwan (China), the US, Japan, Cambodia, India, Australia, Malaysia, and Russia.

China was also the fastest-growing market in the past five months, with a 47.2% year-on-year increase. In contrast, arrivals from the Republic of Korea declined by 2.4% compared to the same period last year.

Several Southeast Asian markets showed rapid growth. Notably, the Philippines saw a surge of 104.3%, followed by Cambodia (up 64.8%) and Laos (up 39.8%).

Other markets in the Southeast Asian region recorded more modest growth: Indonesia increased by 11.6%, Thailand by 4.1%, Malaysia by 2.9%, and Singapore by 2.6%.

European markets benefiting from Viet Nam’s unilateral visa exemption policy maintained their growth momentum during the first five months of 2025, including Italy, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Denmark.

In particular, the Russian market surged by 121.1% compared to the same period in 2024. With 210,000 visitors, Russia has entered the top 10 markets and has become Viet Nam’s largest European tourist market.

Additionally, several countries benefiting from short-term visa exemptions under the 2025 Tourism Promotion Programme also reported increases in visitor numbers as compared with 2024. Poland recorded a rise of 44.5%, while Switzerland saw a 10.7% increase.

According to the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism, the sector is currently focusing on implementing Vietnamese tourism promotion and marketing campaigns. In May 2025, the authority organised programmes to promote domestic destinations in France, Italy, and Switzerland, and also held events to promote Vietnamese tourism and cinema at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

The authority plans to continue Vietnamese tourism promotion activities in three European countries; Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany; in June 2025.