Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam welcomed 19.5 million international visitors in the first 10 months of 2026, up 13.8% year on year, achieving around 78% of its full-year target of 25 million, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).
Asia remained the largest source of visitors, accounting for nearly 75% of the total with 14.6 million arrivals. Europe ranked second with 3.22 million (16.5%), followed by the Americas with 1.04 million (4.4%), Oceania with 602,700 (3.1%), and Africa with 59,900 (0.3%).
China continued to be Vietnam's largest source market with nearly 4.4 million visitors, followed by the Republic of Korea (RoK) with 3.4 million, Russia with 1.25 million, and Taiwan (China) with 1.07 million.
Europe posted the strongest growth at 51.5%, followed by Africa (30.7%), Oceania (21.5%), the Americas (18.1%) and Asia (7.3%). Europe also made the largest contribution to the overall increase in international arrivals.
Among European markets, Russia recorded the fastest growth, surging 150%, while arrivals from Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland rose 45.8%, 21.9% and 23.1%, respectively.
Several Southeast Asian markets also saw strong increases, including the Philippines (52.4%), Cambodia (43.2%), Singapore (28.9%) and Indonesia (27.1%). Australia and New Zealand recorded growth of 21.3% and 22.9%, respectively.
Meanwhile, arrivals from the RoK fell 6.3%, highlighting the need for further policy measures, tourism promotion, and new products to maintain Vietnam's competitiveness in this key market.
The rise in international arrivals was fuelled by both major source markets and those experiencing rapid increases. Strong gains in distant European markets, together with positive performance in regional Asian markets, helped diversify visitor sources, the VNAT said.
Other supporting factors included a stable and secure environment, expanded direct air links with international tourism hubs, favourable visa policies and diverse tourism products.
The VNAT said localities and tourism businesses should coordinate efforts to attract visitors, organise more cultural and tourism events, renew products and improve service quality. It also plans to continue promoting Vietnamese tourism in key markets, including China, the RoK, India and Russia, to attract more visitors, consolidate existing markets and generate momentum for growth in 2027./.
