Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam's tourism industry is set to pivot from increasing visitor numbers to improving the quality of growth in the second half of 2026, with a stronger emphasis on culture, premium visitor experiences, and green, smart and innovative tourism to boost satisfaction and encourage repeat visits.
Tourism remains key economic driver
According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), Vietnam welcomed 12.3 million international visitors in the first six months of 2026, up 15% year-on-year. The figure is the highest first-half number in recent years and puts the country close to halfway towards its target of 25 million foreign arrivals this year.
Domestic tourism also continued to expand, with 81 million trips recorded, a 4.5% increase from a year earlier and 54% of the annual target. Tourism revenue reached 569 trillion VND (21.6 billion USD), up 9.8% year-on-year, surpassing the halfway mark of the sector's revenue goal for 2026.
VNAT said the results reaffirm the tourism sector's growing contributions to consumption, services, employment and livelihoods, while strengthening Vietnam's international profile.
VNAT Deputy Director Nguyen Thi Hoa Mai said the authority has consistently directed localities to tighten inspections and oversight to ensure tourist safety, particularly during peak travel periods. Amid ongoing decentralisation, VNAT will continue working with ministries and local administrations to strengthen safety standards and improve the effectiveness of tourism governance.
The sector has also maintained strong growth momentum while advancing key priorities, including finalising a project to develop tourism into a spearhead economic sector in the new era, modernising promotion efforts, strengthening regional connectivity, diversifying tourism products, enhancing service quality and accelerating digital transformation.\
Quality, sustainability and innovation at the forefront
For the remainder of 2026, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh has instructed the industry to be ready to roll out the project on developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector as soon as it receives the Politburo's approval.
The strategy centres on restructuring the industry towards high-value, green, smart and innovative tourism, with culture, national identity and high-quality visitor experiences forming the sector's competitive edge. Visitors' satisfaction and repeat visitation will serve as the key benchmarks of success.
The industry will also step up efforts to attract greater participation from the private sector, accelerate digital transformation through tourism databases and digital platforms, and strengthen destination management and promotion.
The sector will intensify inspections and enforcement, expand the use of digital technologies for early warning systems and information sharing, and coordinate with localities to upgrade infrastructure, improve service standards and enhance safety, particularly for marine and inland waterway tourism.
In the coming months, the tourism sector will continue refining major initiatives, including programmes to promote Vietnam's tourism and cuisine overseas during 2026-2030, develop health and wellness tourism, and expand tourism linked to OCOP (One Commune One Product) products.
It will also move forward with the tourism development project once approved, while reviewing the 2017 Tourism Law, updating the national tourism system master plan and the Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy to 2030, and finalising a proposal to establish a Vietnam Tourism Promotion Office in Laos./.
