Hanoi (VNA) – Globally, Vietnam ranked sixth in international visitor growth in the first quarter of 2025, with a 30% year-on-year increase, and fourth in terms of tourism revenue growth, with a 29% increase.
According to the May edition of the World Tourism Barometer published by the United Nations Tourism Organisation (UN Tourism), Vietnam recorded the highest growth in foreign arrivals in the Asia-Pacific region during the reviewed period. It also held the second position globally in terms of international arrival recovery, growing by 34% compared to Q1 of the pre-COVID 2019.
Amid ongoing challenges to Asia-Pacific, which continues to seek recovery from the impact of COVID-19, Vietnam's impressive tourism growth has been hailed as a bright spot in the region.
The success story of the nation's tourism reflects coordinated efforts across the sector, which has rolled out a range of concerted solutions, including policy advice, innovative promotional strategies, various tourism stimulus programmes, and diversified tourism offerings.
Notably, the Government has issued several documents aimed at removing difficulties and facilitating the tourism industry. Among these, the open visa policy has been instrumental in attracting more international visitors to Vietnam.
According to UN Tourism, over 300 million international tourist arrivals were recorded worldwide between January and March, an increase of more than 14 million compared to the same period in 2024, equivalent to a 5% year-on-year rise and 3% above the pre-pandemic level in 2019. This is a testament to the robust growth of global tourism despite challenges stemming from geopolitical and economic tensions, as well as high inflation that has affected travel service costs.
UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said that in all regions of the world, tourism stands out as a significant service industry, supporting millions of workers and businesses. He further stated that continued growth in international arrivals, coupled with increased visitor spending in many destinations, underscores the resilience of the industry. He said that in the face of many current challenges, the figures are great news for economies and workers around the world.
Regionally, Europe remained the world’s leading destination, welcoming 125 million international visitors in the first three months of 2025, up 2% year-on-year. The Asia-Pacific region posted the highest growth rate, at 12%.
In terms of recovery compared to Q1 2019, the Middle East led all regions, reaching 144% of pre-pandemic levels. Asia-Pacific reached 91%, signaling steady progress in its post-COVID rebound.
Despite challenges and cautious outlooks, UN Tourism has maintained its forecast for global tourism growth in 2025 at between 3% and 5%.
Vietnam recorded more than six million international tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2025, up 29.6% from a year earlier, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT). This is the highest-ever number to date and represents a 134% surge from the figure in Q1 of 2019.
During H1 of 2025, the country welcomed nearly 10.7 million international arrivals, representing an increase of nearly 21% compared to the same period last year, and up 26% compared to 2019.
Data from the National Statistics Office showed that in June alone, nearly 1.5 million foreign visitors came to the country, down 4% from the previous month.
Asia remained the largest market, with more than 8.41 million visitors (over 78%), marking a year-on-year increase of 21.1%. Arrivals from Europe rose 26.5% to 1.34 million, while visitors from the Americas grew 8.6% to 582,800./.
