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| Foreign visitors are touched to receive meaningful gifts from their Vietnamese friends__Photo: VietnamPlus |
Vietnam welcomed 19.15 million international visitors in the first 11 months of 2025, up 20.9 percent year-on-year and surpassing its pre-pandemic peak of more than 18 million arrivals, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).
The number of foreign tourist arrivals in November reached 1.98 million, an increase of 14.2 percent from October and 15.6 percent compared to the same month in 2024. It was the month with the third-highest figure this year, after January and March, both of which exceeded 2 million visitors.
The UN Tourism report highlighted Vietnam’s performance as one of the most notable recoveries worldwide. While tourism across the Asia–Pacific has rebounded to only around 90 percent of pre-COVID levels, Vietnam is among a select group of destinations, alongside Japan, recording rapid and sustained growth, it said.
According to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance, revenue from accommodation and catering services in the January–November period was estimated at VND 767 trillion (USD 29 billion), accounting for 12 percent of total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue, and up 14.6 percent year-on-year.
Several localities registered notable growth compared to the same period last year, including Ho Chi Minh City (up 17.3 percent), Da Nang (15.8 percent), Hanoi (13.4 percent), Can Tho (12.2 percent), and Hai Phong (11.6 percent).
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| Foreign tourists enjoy exploring Hang Mua (Mua Cave) in Ninh Binh province__Photo: VietnamPlus |
Since the beginning of 2025, many provinces and cities have actively launched tourism stimulus programs and diversified their tourism products. As a result, travel and tourism revenue in the first 11 months was estimated at 85.4 trillion, accounting for 1.4 percent of total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue, and increasing by 19.9 percent year-on-year. Hanoi posted growth of 23.4 percent, followed by Ho Chi Minh City (22.3 percent), Quang Ninh (18.2 percent), Vinh Long (14.1 percent), and Da Nang (13.2 percent).
China remained Vietnam’s largest source market, recording nearly 4.8 million visitors, equivalent to one-quarter of all international arrivals. The Republic of Korea (RoK) ranked second with more than 3.9 million visitors. Chinese Taipei, the US and Japan rounded out the top five. India, Cambodia, Russia, Malaysia and Australia made up the remainder of the top ten.
European markets also continued to record solid growth, demonstrating the impact of Vietnam’s visa-waiver policy. Strong performers included the UK (up 20.7 percent), France (up 21.4 percent), Germany (up 16.6 percent), along with Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. This impressive performance has been attributed to favorable visa policies, intensified tourism promotion and marketing campaigns, and a series of large-scale events held across localities, all of which have helped attract large numbers of international visitors.
Notably, Russian arrivals reached 593,000, an increase of 190.9 percent year-on-year. Russia continued to be Vietnam’s largest European market and the fastest-growing source market in the region.- (VNA/VLLF)
