Thailand is the focus of Southeast Asia's tourism industry, especially the fact that the third season of The White Lotus set in this country has increased the already high interest of tourists.
However, Bloomberg pointed out that Vietnam is ahead in terms of growth.
Vietnam is currently ranked as the 3rd most visited country by tourists in Southeast Asia, with 17.5 million international visitors in 2024, surpassing Singapore.
Thailand topped with 35 million visitors and Malaysia ranked 2nd with 25 million tourists.
These figures make Vietnam the regional leader in tourism recovery speed after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vietnam has recovered 98% of tourism activities, surpassing all neighboring countries, including Thailand (87.5%) and Singapore (86%).
In all other aspects, Vietnam's popularity is still continuing to skyrocket: Nearly 4 million international tourists have arrived in Vietnam in January and February 2025, an increase of 30.2% over the same period last year.
There are many factors that explain Vietnam's growing attractiveness to tourists, Bloomberg said.
The most important thing is access: The first direct flight between the US and Vietnam has been operated by Vietnam Airlines since 2021, from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City.
The new electronic visa policy applied in 2023 helps simplify entry procedures for tourists and allows stays for up to 90 days, 3 times the previous limit.
Vietnam also exempts visas for more than 10 countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Korea and Spain, and many more countries will be exempt from visas this March.
According to Bloomberg, another factor driving the development of Vietnam's tourism is the emergence of leading hotel brands: Recently opened hotels include Regent Phu Quoc, Capella Hanoi and JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon.
Additional hotels of Luxury Collection, Ritz-Carlton Reserve and Park Hyatt are all under construction.
In addition, expanding the Michelin Guide list in 2024 has created a global platform for Vietnamese cuisine.
All of these make Vietnam increasingly attractive to luxury travelers who have been to Koh Samui and Phuket in Thailand, or are looking for a new, different, less crowded destination than Japan and Singapore.
Indian upper class families are also choosing Vietnam - especially Phu Quoc and Ha Long - to hold lavish weddings in 2024.
Along with simplified visa procedures, increased direct flights have boosted more than half a million Indian tourists to Vietnam in 2024, an increase of 297% compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Bloomberg noted that there is currently no sign that Vietnam's growth rate will slow down in the coming time. By the end of 2025, Vietnam is expected to reach a record of 23 million international visitors.
