With the rapid recovery of the Chinese and European tourist markets, Vietnam has become one of the fastest growing destinations in the world.
The South China Morning Post reported that the number of Chinese tourists to Vietnam in 2025 jumped 41%, reaching about 5.3 million, surpassing Thailand's 4.5 million in the same period.
This newspaper commented that security concerns in Thailand have caused a part of Chinese tourists to shift to Vietnam, contributing to changing the tourism competitiveness in Southeast Asia.
According to published figures, in 2025, Vietnam welcomed about 21.2 million international visitors - the highest level ever. This breakthrough takes place in the context of Southeast Asian tourism industry undergoing strong restructuring after the pandemic, with an estimated value of up to billions of USD.
Vietnam is assessed as one of the countries that effectively utilizes the recovery period, thanks to its early, flexible and synchronous opening policy.
One of the important driving forces promoting growth is Vietnam's implementation of a series of favorable visa policies, including visa exemption of up to 45 days for citizens of many developed economies. These measures help the number of visitors from Europe increase sharply.
According to South China Morning Post, the number of visitors from Poland increased by about 43%, while visitors from England, France and Italy all increased by nearly 20% compared to the previous year. Notably, the number of tourists from Russia recorded an increase of nearly 200%, becoming one of the fastest recovering markets.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) ranks Vietnam in the group of fastest growing tourist destinations globally, along with Brazil, Egypt, Japan and Ethiopia.
The organization's report shows that the number of international visitors from key markets to Vietnam has exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Vietnam's tourism revenue in 2025 is estimated to reach over 1 million billion VND, equivalent to about 38 billion USD, making a significant contribution to economic growth and job creation.
Bangkok Post also assessed that tourism is becoming an important pillar in Vietnam's economic development picture.
According to this newspaper, Vietnam has strengthened many measures to attract international tourists, including supporting air tickets, improving and expanding airport infrastructure, and diversifying tourism products and destinations.
These efforts help Vietnam not only compete directly with Thailand but also expand its attractiveness globally.
The growth momentum of Vietnam's tourism continues to be maintained stably until 2026, with both the number of international visitors and tourism - accommodation service revenue expected to increase by two digits.
The tourism industry is focusing on improving service quality, developing green tourism, sustainable tourism and effectively exploiting remote markets with high spending levels.
International observers believe that with the strong recovery of source markets, open visa policies and increasingly synchronous infrastructure investment, Vietnam is gradually affirming its position as one of the emerging tourist centers of Asia, creating a clear competitive advantage in the post-pandemic period.
