Nearly 1.98 million international tourists arrived in November alone, marking a 14% increase from October and 16% higher than the same month last year.

An in-depth analysis of transportation methods shows that air travel continues to serve as the primary gateway for international arrivals, with 16.2 million visitors, accounting for 84.5% of total arrivals and up 21.0%.

Notably, the number of visitors entering by land also recorded strong growth, reaching 2.7 million arrivals, up 22.2%, while sea travel made up 228,800 arrivals, an increase of 3.4%.

According to the NSO, the strong growth stems from expanded visa policies, effective tourism promotion campaigns, and a series of major cultural and sports events held across the country.

Asia continued to dominate Vietnam’s tourism market with 15 million visitors, or 79% of total arrivals. Europe followed with 2.4 million visitors, while the Americas contributed 993,000, Australia 549,000, and Africa 51,000.

China remained Vietnam’s largest tourist market with 4.8 million, making up around 40% of total international arrivals. The Republic of Korea ranked second with 3.9 million arrivals. Other large tourist markets consist of Japan, Taiwan (China), the US, India, Cambodia, and Russia.

Russia recorded the most remarkable growth, with 592,000 arrivals — a surge of more than 290% from the same period last year. Russian tourists showed a strong preference for warm destinations such as Nha Trang and Phu Quoc.

The top 10 tourist markets seeing high growth rate of 30-40% over the same period include China, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, and India.

The surge in international arrivals, coupled with growing domestic tourism demand, has directly boosted industry revenue. According to the latest report, Vietnam’s tourism and travel services generated an estimated VND85.4 trillion over the past 11 months, representing 1.4% of total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue, up 19.9% year on year.

Major tourism hubs recorded impressive growth in travel revenue compared to the same period last year. Hanoi saw a 23.4% increase, Ho Chi Minh City rose 22.3%, followed by Quang Ninh (up 18.2%), Vinh Long (up 14.1%), and Da Nang (up 13.2%). This growth was attributed to early and proactive efforts by localities to implement effective stimulus programs and diversify tourism products tailored to visitor preferences.

Alongside travel services, revenue from accommodation and food services reached an estimated VND767.8 trillion in the same period, making up 12% of total revenue, and up 14.6% year on year. Ho Chi Minh City led the growth with a 17.3% increase, followed by Da Nang (15.8%) and Hanoi (13.4%).

Official outlines four strategies to hit 25 million foreign arrivals in 2025

Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) Pham Van Thuy has outlined four key strategies to achieve the target of welcoming 25 million foreigners this year during the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s third-quarter press conference in Hanoi recently.