As digital transformation becomes an inevitable trend, data is no longer merely information but the “lifeblood” of the digital economy. The Politburo’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW, dated December 22, 2024, on breakthroughs in science – technology development, innovation and national digital transformation underscores the need to enrich and fully harness data potential, treat data as a main factor of production, and accelerate the development of big databases, the data industry, and the data economy.

Similarly, the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 2629/QD-TTg, dated December 1, 2025, which approves the Digital Government Development Programme, emphasises data as a strategic resource. These strategic orientations identify data as a core “soft infrastructure” of national digital transformation and a foundational element for improving governance efficiency and ensuring the sustainable development of economic sectors, including tourism.

Tourism is a highly interconnected sector in which destinations, services, businesses and travellers are closely linked. As visitor behaviour increasingly shifts toward searching for information on digital platforms, personalising experiences and booking services online, data has become critical for effective management and market development.

In recent years, Vietnam’s tourism sector has recorded strong growth in both scale and quality. In 2025, the country welcomed more than 20 million international arrivals and over 130 million domestic travellers for the first time, with total tourism revenue exceeding VND1 quadrillion (US$38 billion).

This rapid expansion, however, also places greater demand on the sector to adopt a unified and accurate data system to optimise operations, avoid unbalanced development, improve destination quality and enhance international competitiveness.

Despite notable progress in digitalisation, tourism data in Vietnam has long been fragmented, scattered across multiple systems and lacked standardisation or interconnectivity among central agencies, localities and businesses. This has created difficulties in monitoring, forecasting and policy-making, and has at times resulted in inconsistent statistics and heavy reliance on international digital platforms to analyse market trends and visitor preferences.

To address these shortcomings, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism approved a project on building a tourism industry database in September 2024. The project, implemented from 2024 to 2030, aims to develop a comprehensive and unified tourism database nationwide, serving state management while supporting tourism promotion and development.

The system will integrate a wide range of data, including international and domestic tour operators, accommodation establishments, tourist areas and sites, tourism resources, tour guides, and qualified service providers in catering, shopping, entertainment and wellness, as well as tourism promotion activities and statistics.

Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism Pham Van Thuy said the authority has advised the ministry to roll out a programme to accelerate digital transformation toward smart tourism. Central to this effort is the development of a digital data system as the foundation for smart tourism models and for maximising value-added from data, with the goal of forming a national tourism data ecosystem that is accurate, sufficient, clean, dynamic, unified and shared.

A recent milestone in this process is the launch of the national tourism data platform Visit Vietnam, marking a significant step toward building and operating Vietnam’s tourism data ecosystem. The platform is sponsored by the Government, with professional coordination from the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism and the National Data Association. Sun Group is responsible for developing and operating the technological infrastructure, while Visa contributes international payment data, the spending behaviour analysis model and advanced security standards.

The core of Visit Vietnam is a real-time tourism data map, enabling authorities to monitor destination capacity, regulate visitor flows and identify operational risks at an early stage. For businesses, the platform supports product development, service management and market analysis, helping them better reach domestic and international visitors. For travellers, it provides access to official information, personalised itineraries, service booking options and timely alerts on weather conditions, congestion or changes at destinations.

Colonel Ha Nam Trung, Deputy Director of the National Data Centre under the Ministry of Public Security, said Visit Vietnam represents an important shift toward data-driven governance in tourism, laying a prerequisite for long-term competitiveness. It is scheduled for official operation in the second quarter of 2026.

Doan Thi Thanh Tra, Deputy General Director of Saigontourist, noted that information consistency will help improve national tourism brand recognition among travellers, laying a stepping stone for positioning Vietnam as a green, safe and friendly destination.

What Vietnam expects from the launch of Visit Vietnam

VOV.VN - The recent launch of tourism ecommerce platform Visit Vietnam is expected to lay the digital foundation for a data-driven, transparent, and more competitive tourism industry, supporting smarter governance, more efficient business operations, and higher-quality travel experiences.