According to Indonesia’s Tempo newspaper, Vietnam is noted for its spectacular tourism recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, leading in Southeast Asia.
According to Indonesia’s Tempo newspaper, Vietnam is noted for its spectacular tourism recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, leading the Southeast Asian region. Last year, Vietnam welcomed nearly 17.6 million international visitors, recovering 98% compared to the record level in 2019, the pre-pandemic period. This impressive figure has surpassed other famous destinations such as Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia.
Following the recovery momentum of 2024, the tourism industry has witnessed impressive growth in international visitors since the beginning of this year. In January 2025, there were 2.1 million international visitors to Vietnam, an increase of nearly 37% over the same period last year. This figure has also surpassed the record of nearly 2 million visitors to Vietnam recorded in January 2020. This shows that Vietnam is becoming a new rising star on the international tourism map.
According to the United Nations Tourism Organization (UN Tourism), the recovery rate of tourism activities worldwide is at 99%, while in the Asia-Pacific region it has only reached 87% compared to before the pandemic. Specifically, Thailand (88%), Singapore (86%), Indonesia (86%), Malaysia (94%) and the Philippines (72%). This further affirms the position of Vietnam’s tourism industry in the eyes of international tourists.
Mr. Stewart Mcdonald – Australian tourist said: “This is my 5th time coming to Vietnam and I have had the opportunity to visit many big cities such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and coastal cities. Your country is a great place to travel, everyone is very friendly and I love the cuisine here”.
British tourists Oliver and Rupert shared: “We just arrived in Vietnam yesterday after traveling in Thailand and we plan to stay here for about two weeks. After seeing a series of Vietnamese travel photos on TikTok, we immediately decided to come here to experience it.”
Mr. Tommy Chandler – British tourist commented: “You can travel across the country from North, Central, South and each destination, each city has its own unique features, making everyone want to come back and I have come back 4 times”.
According to Agoda Vietnam, the number of international visitors searching for accommodation in Vietnam increased by 139% compared to the same period last year, especially Chinese visitors increased by nearly 300%. Infrastructure development, improved service quality, product diversification and especially open visa policies have contributed greatly to the growth of Vietnam tourism in recent times.
Mr. Bui Thanh Tu – Marketing Director, Bestprice Travel Company commented: “The policy of increasing the length of stay in Vietnam for tourists of some countries shows that Vietnam is a friendly country to international friends, secondly, it creates competition with countries around us and increases the revenue of Vietnam tourism. Previously, visitors only stayed for 15 days, the spending level was only around 1,400 – 1,600 USD/guest. Now, visitors stay for 45 days, the spending level of visitors also increases to about 2,000 – 3,000 USD/guest”.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tai – Director of Vietsense Travel Company said: “In the future, Vietnam will become one of the global destinations. Enterprises will have to diversify their promotional markets, approach more foreign partners, in more different countries. Second, it is necessary to diversify products and services”.
By 2025, Vietnam aims to welcome 22-23 million international visitors; serve 120-130 million domestic visitors and achieve total tourism revenue of about 980 – 1,050 trillion VND.