Vietnamese tourism ‘peaks’ to welcome international visitors

Data from the Department of Statistics on May 3 showed that in April, Vietnam welcomed 2.03 million international visitors, bringing the total number of visitors in the first 4 months of the year to 8.8 million and increasing nearly 15% over the same period last year.

This is the first time after 18 years of statistics that Vietnamese tourism has witnessed a series of 4 consecutive months welcoming over 2 million visitors per month.

A month ago, in the first quarter, the total number of international visitors reached 6.76 million, an increase of more than 12% over the same period in 2025 and also the highest level of the first quarter of all years. Of which, January welcomed 2.02 million, February – 2.22 million, March – 2.08 million.

A representative of the National Tourism Administration said that open visa policies and increased international flight routes are the “main driving forces” for this growth.

Mainland China continues to be the largest market with nearly 450,000 visitors in April, followed by South Korea, Russia, Cambodia, the US, India, and Japan. Notably, the Philippines entered the top 10 largest sending markets for the first time when it surpassed Malaysia.

The Russian market also recorded a strong breakthrough with an increase of approximately 300% over the same period in 2025 thanks to the recovery of charter flights to serve long-term vacation needs in the Central coastal provinces, combining competitive advantages in security, comfort, and cost of Vietnamese destinations.

The top 10 source markets are contributing 72% of total international visitors to Vietnam, of which the two largest markets, mainland China and South Korea, contribute 40%.

April is the last month of the peak season for international visitors, preparing to enter the peak season for domestic summer tourism. However, according to the National Tourism Administration’s assessment, the number of foreign visitors this month remained high, showing positive growth prospects as well as a bright picture of the industry.

Vietnam’s results are considered a bright spot in the region. While Vietnam is growing steadily, the number of visitors to Thailand in the first 4 months of the year reached 11.3 million, down 3.4% over the same period. Singapore (4.4 million visits) and Indonesia (3.51 million visits) also recorded lower growth than expected in the first quarter.

According to the National Tourism Administration, although April is the end of the peak season for international visitors, the number of visitors still remains at over 2 million, showing a bright picture of the industry. However, experts warn that pressure on aviation infrastructure and price competition from neighboring countries are still major challenges in the second half of the year.

In a global geopolitical context that is still unstable, especially affected by the conflict in the Middle East, these 4-month results not only reflect growth momentum but also affirm Vietnam’s position as a safe, stable and increasingly attractive destination on the international tourism map, according to the Department of Tourism.