On June 1st in Manila, within the framework of the State visit to the Philippines by General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife, the signing ceremony of cooperation documents between Vietnam and the Philippines took place with the witness of senior leaders of the two countries.
Among the documents awarded is the Vietnam - Philippines Tourism Cooperation Program for the period 2026-2029. Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong and Philippine Minister of Tourism Maria Bernardita Angara-Mathay represented the two sides to perform the ceremony of awarding the cooperation program.
The program was signed by Member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh and Philippine Minister of Tourism Maria Bernardita Angara-Mathay, continuing the Tourism Cooperation Agreement between the Governments of the two countries signed in 1994, and inheriting bilateral tourism cooperation plans that had been implemented before.
According to the content of the agreement, the two countries will strengthen coordination in tourism management, development and promotion; exchange experiences on sustainable tourism, regenerative tourism and the development of new tourism products; promote the exchange of experts, tourism managers and support the promotion of destinations.
The two sides also encouraged tourism businesses to build joint promotion programs, develop tourism products connecting Vietnam - Philippines to increase the attractiveness of destinations and the number of tourists exchanged between the two countries.
To ensure the effective implementation of the program, Vietnam and the Philippines agreed to establish the Vietnam - Philippines Tourism Working Group as the focal point for coordinating, monitoring and promoting cooperation contents in the period 2026-2029.
The signing took place in the context of tourism cooperation relations between the two countries recording many positive signs. The Philippines is currently one of the fastest growing tourist markets for Vietnamese tourism.
In 2025, Vietnam welcomed 482,173 Filipino visitors, an increase of 81% compared to 2024. In the first 4 months of 2026, the number of visitors from the Philippines to Vietnam continued to increase sharply by 73.4% compared to the same period last year, reaching 235,798 visitors.
In the opposite direction, the number of Vietnamese visitors to the Philippines is still quite modest. In 2023, the Philippines welcomed 67,661 Vietnamese visitors; in 2024 it reached 58,098 visitors and in the first 11 months of 2025 it reached 30,650 visitors. This is considered a great room for the two countries to continue to strengthen promotion, advertising and connecting the tourism market in the coming time.
Aviation connectivity between the two countries is also being expanded. Currently, direct flights between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila are operated regularly.
From December 2025, Vietnam Airlines has put into operation the Hanoi - Cebu direct flight route. Within the framework of this visit, Vietjet also announced plans to open the Ho Chi Minh City - Cebu direct flight route, contributing to strengthening connectivity between major tourist centers of the two countries.
Along with the signing of the tourism cooperation program, senior leaders of Vietnam and the Philippines issued a Joint Statement, affirming that tourism is an important driving force to promote economic growth, enhance cultural understanding and people-to-people exchanges.
The two sides committed to further deepening tourism cooperation through experience sharing, promoting sustainable and inclusive tourism initiatives, and creating more favorable conditions for travel, visitor exchange and cooperation between tourism businesses.
Vietnam and the Philippines also continue to closely coordinate in ASEAN tourism cooperation mechanisms. With the role of ASEAN Chair in 2026, the Philippines has hosted many important regional tourism events such as the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF), the ASEAN Tourism Ministers' Meeting and the TRAVEX International Tourism Fair, with the active participation of Vietnam.
Bilateral and regional cooperation commitments are expected to create a foundation for the two countries to effectively implement the Tourism Cooperation Program for the period 2026-2029, contributing to increasing the number of tourist exchanges, expanding destination linkages and promoting sustainable tourism development in the ASEAN region.
