The attraction of Tet tourism
In tourist capitals such as Phu Quoc, the Tet atmosphere is not only the joy of locals but has become a valuable experience for international friends. Ms. Anna, a tourist from Russia, excitedly shared: "The people here are great, everyone says hello to us. The trip is right on Vietnam's Tet holiday, so it is more crowded, we see people decorating with many flowers, very beautiful".
Agreeing with this view, Ms. Dipti Goyal, an Indian tourist, was strongly impressed with the characteristic red color of Vietnamese Tet: "The Tet atmosphere here is really bustling, the streets are dyed red, everyone is bustling with beautiful clothes and of course there are also fireworks shows, wonderful. We also participate in Tet experience activities of Vietnamese people, which is very impressive.
Going hand in hand with the satisfaction of tourists from all directions is the hotel room occupancy rate in Phu Quoc reaching a peak of 95% throughout the holiday. Statistics in the 9-day Tet holiday of Binh Ngo 2026, Phu Quoc special zone alone is estimated to welcome nearly 366,000 visitors (an increase of nearly 30% compared to the same period), of which international visitors are nearly 93,000 visitors (an increase of 24.3% compared to the same period).
Not only Phu Quoc, the tourism picture of the whole country during the 9-day Tet holiday appears with brilliant colors. It is estimated that the entire industry has served about 14 million visitors, with an average room occupancy rate of 55-60%. Notably, key destinations such as Sa Pa reached 90-95%, Da Lat and Phan Thiet maintained at 80-90%.
The sudden increase in international visitors in localities is the clearest proof of the effectiveness of the favorable visa policy and promotion activities. Hue recorded a record growth of 207% with more than 238,000 international visitors; Da Nang welcomed 510,000 visitors (up 32%); while Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City increased by 55% and 51.7% respectively.
The fact that the number of international visitors is approaching domestic visitors in many places shows the increasingly solid position of Vietnamese tourism in the global market.
A bumper start to tourism
Not outside the bustling cycle, the domestic market is also witnessing a clear shift. The number of domestic tour registrants increased by about 15-20% compared to the previous year. Instead of short, hurried trips, Vietnamese tourists in 2026 tend to personalize experiences, seek deep local cultural values and stay longer at a destination.
Major travel agencies such as Vietravel, Saigontourist, Vietluxtour... have launched many stimulus programs, traditional Tet experience tours, "Western people celebrate Tet with us" tours, invited international guests to experience "Western people celebrate Tet in the Mekong Delta" tours, city tours by double-decker bus, Saigon River yachts...
Many localities offer free visits to relics and scenic spots; major cities organize free buses and urban railways during Tet, contributing to creating favorable conditions for people and tourists to visit and explore.
Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism Dang Huong Giang said that the outstanding new point this year in tourist areas, attractions and historical sites in the Capital is the increase in experience content, interaction and cultural depth, combining traditional art performances and experiential activities for tourists.
Increased experience leads to skyrocketing spending. Total tourism revenue in many localities increased by over 30%, even higher than the growth rate of visitors, reflecting the trend of improving added value and service quality.
In Ho Chi Minh City, total revenue from tourists reached about 12,150 billion VND (up 42.9%) thanks to unique river tourism products and double-decker city tour buses. Hanoi Capital also earned 4,870 billion VND from 1.34 million visitors, thanks to the "Happy Tet 2026" activity series and heritage spaces of the Old Quarter. Other localities such as Ninh Binh (1.85 million visitors), An Giang (1.7 million visitors), Da Nang (1.1 million visitors) and Khanh Hoa (more than 1 million visitors) have created a balanced growth network, spreading positive effects for the entire industry.
Challenges from "hot spots
The explosion of Tet tourism in 2026 is an optimistic sign but also poses thorny problems about supply capacity. The psychology of prioritizing branded destinations such as Sa Pa, Yen Tu (Quang Ninh), Trang An (Ninh Binh)... during the peak days from the 2nd to the 4th day of Tet has caused the infrastructure system to always be overloaded.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu - General Director of Vitamin Tour & Events - commented: "The fact that the flow of customers is too concentrated in some'hot spots' such as Sa Pa, Da Lat, Phu Quoc on peak days from the 2nd to the 4th day of Tet has created huge pressure on local infrastructure.
The repeated congestion situation over the years stems from three main bottlenecks: too high seasonality when demand is concentrated during 5-7 holidays; the psychology of crowds prioritizing branded destinations; and especially the lack of a real-time flow regulation mechanism to stretch out passengers to satellite areas.
According to Mr. Hieu, it is impossible to manage peak tourism with traditional administrative thinking. "Multilateral coordination between the government and businesses in data sharing and using AI to forecast visitor traffic is a vital direction. The model of socializing investment in standard parking lots, rest stops and toilets also needs to be replicated to reduce the burden on the State budget," Mr. Hieu analyzed.
In addition, applying modern management tools can completely change the situation. Selling tickets by time frame like the model at some foreign tourist destinations, limiting the number of visitors per day and providing real-time visitor density data helps tourists proactively adjust their schedules, avoiding overloaded areas.
When people's tourism demand is still very strong, the vital issue of the industry is no longer whether there are tourists or not, but the ability to manage the flow of tourists to ensure the quality of experience and maintain the image of the destination in a sustainable way.
North Central Coast Tet tourism flourishes at the beginning of the year
During the 9-day Lunar New Year holiday of Binh Ngo 2026 (from February 14-22), tourism in the North Central provinces recorded many positive signs, both in terms of visitor volume and revenue, creating a favorable foundation for the new tourism year.
In Quang Tri, according to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the whole province welcomed about 409,000 visitors, an increase of 18.3% compared to the Lunar New Year At Ty 2025.
In Hue, in the same holiday period, the total number of visitors is estimated at more than 523,600, an increase of 245% over the same period. International visitors more than 249,260, an increase of 219%; domestic visitors more than 274,770, an increase of 273%. Tourism revenue is estimated at 1,121 billion VND, an increase of 350% over the same period. Number of overnight visitors reached about 113,632, an increase of 58%; average room occupancy reached about 78%.
In Nghe An, the whole province is estimated to welcome about 367,000 visitors, including 185,000 overnight visitors; total revenue from tourism reached about 505 billion VND.
In Thanh Hoa, the whole province is estimated to welcome about 69,000 visitors, an increase of 2.3% compared to the same period in 2025; total tourism revenue reached about 607 billion VND, an increase of 6.5%.
In Ha Tinh, tourist areas and attractions welcomed more than 210,000 visitors.
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Khanh Hoa harvests a lot during the Binh Ngo Tet holiday, ready to accelerate in 2026
Data from Cam Ranh International Airport, from February 16 - 21 (ie December 29 to the 5th day of Tet), the airport served 774 flights taking off and landing (497 international flights, 277 domestic flights), with about 142,720 passengers passing through the port.
According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, from February 15 to 21, the whole province welcomed 320,000 overnight visitors (an increase of nearly 12.3%).
From the positive results at the beginning of the year, Khanh Hoa Tourism industry set a target for 2026 to welcome 18.8 million visitors (6.3 million international visitors, 12.5 million domestic visitors), with revenue of 77,000 billion VND. - Huu Long
Da Nang welcomes more than 1.1 million visitors during Tet
According to statistics from Da Nang's tourism industry, in the period from February 14 - 22, 2026, the total number of visitors and tourists to the city is estimated at about 1.1 million, an increase of 27% compared to the same period in 2025. Of which, international visitors are estimated at more than 510,000, an increase of over 32%, and domestic visitors are about 59,000, an increase of 23%. Total revenue from tourism activities is estimated at nearly 4,000 billion VND, an increase of about 34%, showing that the spending and stay time of tourists continue to improve.
At famous tourist attractions such as Ba Na Hills, Son Tra peninsula, My Khe beach, Da Nang Museum or Hoi An, the number of visitors flocking is large, causing localized overload at many times. Especially in Hoi An, the ancient town is continuously crowded with tourists from the 1st to the 5th day of Tet.
Exchanging views on tourism development orientations for 2026, Ms. Truong Thi Hong Hanh - Director of Da Nang City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that the city prioritizes adjusting tourism development planning to suit the new space and context. Reviewing and developing tourism with urban infrastructure, resources and market trends. - Tran Thi
Binh Ngo Tet starts smoothly, Ho Chi Minh City tourism awaits infrastructure boost
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, during the 9-day Lunar New Year holiday of 2026 (February 14 - 22), the total number of visitors to tourist areas and attractions is estimated at 4.32 million, an increase of 35% compared to the same period in 2025; international visitors to the city are estimated at 170,000, an increase of 51.7%.
Average room occupancy reached about 75%, an increase of 10%; total tourism revenue is estimated at 12,150 billion VND, an increase of 42.9% compared to the Lunar New Year last year. In Vung Tau, the number of visitors during the Tet holiday increased by about 150% compared to the same period in 2025. - Thanh Tri
