Vietnam’s experience-rich travel routes are becoming increasingly attractive to tourists. (Photo: Vietnam+)

According to data released by the Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance on August 3, after the first 7 months of 2026, Vietnam received 13.9 million international arrivals (13.8% up compared to the same period of 2025), including 1.67 million international arrivals in July (6.6% up compared to the same period of 2025). The tourism industry has therefore achieved approximately 56% of its target of receiving 25 million international visitors in 2026.

Regarding the tourism market scale, China remained Vietnam’s largest source market with around 3.1 million visitors, accounting for 22.2% of total international visitors. The Republic of Korea ranked second with 2.4 million visitors. These are the two most important and stable traditional tourism markets to Vietnam.

The highlight is that Russia, with 864,000 visitors, represented a surge of 174% compared with the last year and double the figure recorded in 2019. Russia maintained its position as Vietnam’s third-largest source market and the largest from the European region. Experts attributed the growth to the recovery of direct flights, increased flight frequencies, and rising demand among Russian travellers for holidays in Vietnam.

Among the list of Vietnam’s 10 largest source markets, Northeast Asia continued to dominate. Southeast Asia had two representatives in the top 10, with Cambodia contributing 565,000 visitors and the Philippines 417,000. India, representing South Asia, recorded 553,000 visitors, reflecting the growing potential of a market characterised by relatively high spending and rapidly increasing demand for overseas travel. While featuring among the top 10 were long-haul markets including Russia, the United States, and Australia.

International visitors experience Hanoi’s nighttime tourism products. (Photo: Vietnam+)

In terms of growth, Europe remained the standout region with an average increase of 53.4% compared to the previous year. Vietnam’s visa exemption policy helped facilitate travel and boost international arrivals from several European markets, with Poland rising by 51.3%, the Czech Republic by 28.6%, Sweden by 24.7%, and Switzerland by 21.7%. Furthermore, Europe is a long-haul market with high visitor spending and its strong growth also signals a qualitative shift in the development of Vietnam’s tourism industry.

Asia continued to serve as a key growth driver thanks to its geographical proximity, expanding air connectivity and rising demand for intra-regional travel. Several key markets, including Malaysia and the Philippines,... recorded growth rates ranging from 21.6% to 63.6%.

Against a backdrop of continuing global uncertainties and the current low season for international travel to Vietnam, the results were viewed as encouraging. Maintaining double-digit growth demonstrates the steadily improving appeal of Vietnam as a destination, while also reflecting the effectiveness of favourable visa policies, expanded aviation links, stronger tourism promotion and improvements in the quality of tourism products and services.

Vietnam will step into the peak international tourism season beginning in late third quarter and continuing through the fourth quarter and the tourism industry has strong grounds to sustain its growth momentum and work towards welcoming 25 million foreign visitors in 2026.

Hanoi Ranks Among World’s Cities With Friendliest Customer Service The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism has announced that Hanoi has continued making its mark by ranking second among the world’s 10 cities with the friendliest customer service ranking released by UK-based financial platform MoneySuperMarket.

“Cham Lung Cu” Strengthens Tourism Appeal in Vietnam’s Northernmost Region The “Cham Lung Cu” check-in site in Tuyen Quang province contributes to diversifying tourism products and enhancing the appeal of Vietnam’s far northern region.