Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam welcomed nearly 12.3 million international visitors in the first six months of 2026, up 14.9% year-on-year, putting the tourism sector on track to achieve its target of attracting 25 million foreign tourists this year.
According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT)'s Tourism Information Centre, the country received around 1.7 million international visitors in June alone, an increase of 14.7% from the same month last year, despite the month traditionally being part of the low travel season.
The strong performance came amid continued global economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, highlighting Vietnam's growing appeal as a safe, culturally rich and competitively priced destination with improving service quality. Favourable visa policies, expanded international air connectivity, stronger tourism promotion and international cooperation have also helped sustain inbound tourism growth.
Air travel remained the dominant mode of entry, with 10.12 million arrivals, accounting for 82.6% of the total and rising 11.4% year-on-year. Land arrivals reached 1.92 million, posting the fastest growth among all transport modes at 37.5%, while more than 209,000 visitors arrived by sea, up 15.2%.
China remained Vietnam's largest source market with 2.7 million visitors, followed by the Republic of Korea with 2.16 million. Together, the two markets accounted for around 40% of total international arrivals.
Russia maintained exceptional momentum, recording 742,700 visitors, up 185.8% from a year earlier, making it Vietnam's third-largest source market. The surge reflects the restoration and expansion of direct flights, growing demand among Russian travellers for beach holidays, and Vietnam's competitive tourism products.
Other major markets included Taiwan (China) with more than 638,000 visitors, the US with nearly 530,000, Cambodia with over 509,000, India with more than 491,000, and Japan with 442,000.
Southeast Asia continued to be a key growth driver. The Philippines recorded the strongest increase at 67.6%, followed by Cambodia (41.2%), Singapore (29.4%), Indonesia (26.5%), Malaysia (23.4%) and Thailand (10%). Growing intra-ASEAN travel, supported by geographic proximity, dense flight networks and easier travel policies, has strengthened the region's role as a stable source of visitors.
India also remained a standout market, with arrivals rising 45.6%, driven by additional direct flights and stronger promotional efforts.
Europe recorded the highest regional growth rate at 56.1%, led by Russia and supported by continued gains from Western and Northern European markets. Arrivals from Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland all increased, benefiting in part from Vietnam's visa exemption policy for several European countries. Long-haul markets also expanded steadily, with arrivals from the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand all posting double-digit growth.
VNAT expected international arrivals to remain strong in the second half of the year as the peak travel season from Northeast Asia, Europe and North America begins in the third and fourth quarters. Combined with continued visa facilitation, expanded international air links, stronger marketing campaigns and improved tourism products and services, the first-half performance is expected to provide a solid foundation for achieving the country's target of 25 million international visitors in 2026./.
