Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s tourism sector is maintaining strong international visitor growth while expanding its reach across both traditional Asian markets and long-haul destinations, with nearly 16 million foreign arrivals recorded in the first eight months of 2026, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).
Strong growth in long-haul markets
The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance reported that Vietnam welcomed nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from July and 18.4% year-on-year. The figure represented 63.6% of the tourism sector’s full-year target of 25 million arrivals.
Air travel remained the dominant mode of entry, accounting for 83% of arrivals and playing a particularly important role in connecting Vietnam with distant markets. Land arrivals also continued to rise, supported mainly by visitors from Southeast Asian countries.
Asia remained the largest source region, with about 11.8 million visitors, or nearly 74% of total arrivals, up 7.4% year-on-year.
Europe recorded the strongest growth, with around 2.68 million travellers, up 53.4%. Visitors from the Americas rose 20.7% to about 887,000, while arrivals from Oceania increased 23.3% to nearly 489,000. African visitors numbered about 45,000, up 25.1%.
VNAT said the figures reflected not only the solid foundation provided by nearby Asian markets but also significant expansion in long-haul markets. Strong growth from Europe, the Americas and Oceania is helping diversify Vietnam’s international visitor base and strengthen the sector’s resilience to regional fluctuations.
Northern highland market space offers visitors a range of distinctive cultural experiences. (Photo: VNA)
India, Russia markets make spectacular breakthroughs
China remained Vietnam’s largest source market in the first eight months, with 3.54 million arrivals, accounting for about 22.3% of the total. The Republic of Korea ranked second with 2.76 million, or 17.3%. Together, the two markets contributed more than 6.3 million visitors, nearly 40% of all international arrivals.
Russia ranked third among the largest tourism source markets of Vietnam, with more than 1 million arrivals, representing a year-on-year surge of 165.7%.
The resumption and increased frequency of charter flights linking major Russian cities directly with Vietnam’s coastal destinations have helped drive the growth. Destinations such as Nha Trang, Mui Ne and Phu Quoc remain attractive to Russian travellers thanks to their warm climate, diverse cuisine and modern resort facilities.
Other key markets also posted encouraging increases, including the Philippines (up 58.8%), Cambodia (41.5%), the US (20.4%), Australia (23.3%) and Japan (9.2%). European markets likewise recorded solid growth, with arrivals from Poland up 51.2%, Sweden 25.1%, Germany 15.1%, France 13.4%, Switzerland 27% and the UK 9.8%.
The Indian outbound market has also made a spectacular breakthrough. While only about 102,000 Indian tourists travelled to Vietnam in 2019, the figure surpassed 612,000 in the last eight months, making India one of Vietnam’s largest tourism source markets.
VNAT attributed the surge largely to the expanding network of direct flights. Vietjet Air and Vietnam Airlines operate direct services linking New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, helping shorten travel times and reduce travel costs.
The results demonstrate that Vietnam’s tourism growth is broadening beyond traditional markets. With nearly 16 million international arrivals after eight months and the peak tourism season approaching, the sector has favourable conditions to move closer to its target of 25 million foreign visitors this year./.
