Increase attractiveness to maintain growth momentum
Continuing the growth momentum of 2025, in the first quarter of 2026, Vietnamese tourism continued to achieve positive results when welcoming over 6.7 million international visitors, an increase of 12.4% compared to the same period in 2025, which is the highest level in the first quarter of previous years. Domestic tourists are estimated at about 37 million, total revenue from tourism is about 267,000 billion VND. However, this reality still requires solutions to increase attractiveness to cope with challenges. Building breakthrough attractiveness solutions is an urgent requirement at this time to both protect growth momentum and turn tourists' trust into a driving force for sustainable development for the entire industry. In that context, Vietnam National Authority of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh identified some outstanding opportunities such as the trend of shifting international tourist flows to safer, closer and more economical destinations; increasing visitor flows from nearby markets. At the same time, creating opportunities for Vietnam to continue to affirm its brand as a safe, friendly, and attractive destination. According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, Vietnam is currently considered to have a competitive advantage because it is a safe, stable and attractive destination with product packages suitable for current world tourism trends, in the context of the Middle East and regional conflicts being volatile, the fact that the customer flow is still maintained at a high level not only reflects connectivity capacity, but more importantly, the trust of international tourists in Vietnam. In the coming time, Vietnam's tourism industry will focus on promoting in key markets, striving to realize the goal of sustainable growth for the whole year 2026.
Ho Chi Minh City plays a leading role
In Ho Chi Minh City, with the role of tourism locomotive, the city also proactively implements flexible solutions, from stimulating domestic market demand to improving product quality, in order to maintain growth momentum. Mr. Nguyen Minh Man - Deputy General Director of VinaGroup Tourism Company - assessed that the flow of international tourists to Vietnam will be double-impacted, not only by price factors but also by many other fluctuations in the world. "Provinces and cities need to increase on-site purchasing power, organize inter-provincial tours according to new administrative units. At the same time, strengthen linkages and synchronization in product organization" - Mr. Man analyzed.
According to Mr. Man, besides enhancing the attractiveness of destinations and diversifying products, factors such as security, safety, service quality, environmental sanitation, food safety and customer behavior need to be emphasized. According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, in 2026, the city will continue to implement the Tourism Development Project to 2030, focusing on improving product quality and diversification, focusing on typical products of large cities. Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry aims to welcome about 11 million international visitors, 50 million domestic visitors, with total tourism revenue estimated at about 330,000 billion VND. Ho Chi Minh City's tourism industry implements many long-term solutions to develop Vietnamese tourism in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular, promote and promote destinations and strengthen regional links.
