Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam is moving to turn tourism into a spearhead economic sector and a new growth driver for double-digit economic growth, with a shift from volume-based expansion to a quality- and value-driven model, Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra has said.
Speaking at a nationwide conference held on September 3 to study, disseminate and implement several resolutions and directives of the Political Bureau, Tra presented the key contents of Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW on developing Vietnam’s tourism into a spearhead economic sector in the new era.
Nearly a decade of implementing Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW, Vietnam’s tourism sector has made significant progress, with improved policies and mechanisms, expanding markets, stronger infrastructure and human resources, and advances in promotion, marketing and digital transformation. It has increasingly affirmed its role and capacity to generate high added value in socio-economic development, create jobs, support economic restructuring, preserve and promote cultural values and showcase the image of Vietnam and its people to the world.
In 2025, Vietnam welcomed nearly 21.2 million international visitors, up 20.4% year-on-year, and served 137 million domestic tourists. International arrivals reached 15.9 million in the first eight months of 2026, putting the sector on track to meet its annual target of 25 million foreign visitors.
However, tourism remains below its potential and is not yet fully sustainable, with challenges including inadequate investment, weak inter-sectoral and inter-regional coordination, limited product diversity, low value addition and implementation bottlenecks.
Against this backdrop, Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW, issued on August 22, sets out a new vision, with a focus on fundamentally renewing the mindset, methods and approaches to tourism development and governance, shifting from quantity to quality and increasing the sector’s contribution to the national economy, Tra said.
The resolution positions tourism as a key component of the new growth model and a new growth driver contributing to the realisation of the double-digit economic growth target. Culture is identified as the foundation while cultural identity and experience quality are seen as competitive advantages, supported by science – technology, innovation and digital transformation.
It also calls for an integrated tourism ecosystem that promotes economic, cultural, social and environmental sustainability while enhancing national defence, security, social order and safety, cultural diplomacy and international integration. Besides, it points out the need to develop smart, green and creative tourism, strengthen the competitiveness of tourism products and services, improve the quality of human resources, and properly handle employment and social security issues.
It is also necessary to modernise data-driven governance and reinforce links among sectors and regions, she went on, adding that developing tourism is viewed as a task of the entire political system under the Party's leadership, with businesses identified as the pioneering force, people as participants and beneficiaries, and domestic and international resources utilised for tourism development.
Tra noted that the resolution aims to build a high-quality, smart, green and innovative tourism sector with strong cultural identity, high added value and greater regional and international competitiveness. Tourism development will be linked with cultural industries to help promote Vietnam’s image and enhance its national soft power.
By 2030, tourism is expected to contribute 10–12% directly to GDP, attract 45–50 million international visitors, serve 160 million domestic tourists, and gain 80–90 billion USD in tourism revenue. Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will become three tourism growth poles, alongside 10 key tourism centres and 20 national tourism areas. The sector is set to create about 2.3 million direct and 3.5 million indirect jobs.
By 2045, tourism is targeted to contribute 14–15% directly to GDP, attract 70 million international visitors and place Vietnam among the world’s 30 most competitive tourism destinations.
To achieve these goals, the official said, the Political Bureau has outlined focal solutions covering institutional perfection; infrastructure; markets and products; promotion; human resources; businesses and tourism communities; science – technology, innovation, and digital transformation; and tourism governance reform.
Tra stressed that the effective implementation of Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW will be decisive in turning tourism into a spearhead economic sector in the new era. The Government has completed an action plan for implementing the resolution that comprises 30 tasks assigned to seven ministries and agencies, along with provincial-level administrations.
Vietnam has sufficient natural resources and cultural heritage to build a tourism sector of regional and global stature. What remains is our determination and action, she stressed./.
VNA
