Vietnamese tourism is maintaining positive growth momentum as the number of international visitors continues to increase. Many domestic destinations and tourism products are increasingly receiving attention from the world media. Xinhua News Agency quoted information from the Vietnam Statistics Office as saying that nearly 13.9 million international visitors came to Vietnam in the first 7 months of 2026, an increase of 13.8% compared to the same period last year.
Accordingly, out of the total number of international visitors, about 11.5 million visitors came by air, an increase of 10.7% compared to the same period in 2025. The number of visitors entering by land reached 2.2 million, an increase of 33.6%, while visitors arriving by sea reached 210,900, an increase of 14.7%.
Vietnam aims to welcome 25 million international visitors in 2026. This goal sets a requirement for the tourism industry to continue to diversify products, while improving service quality to meet the increasingly diverse needs of tourists.
In that overall picture, Hanoi is emerging as a destination attracting many tourists. According to Xinhua, in the first 7 months of the year, the Capital welcomed more than 21.16 million visitors, an increase of 15% over the same period. International visitors alone reached 5.31 million, an increase of 25%, bringing in tourism revenue estimated at 86,470 billion VND. The city is also expanding agricultural, rural and community tourism products, creating more choices for tourists to explore local life and culture.
This is also one of the prominent development directions of Vietnamese tourism as the need for experience is increasingly focused on. According to Xinhua, foreign tourists can register to participate in many practical activities, directly learn about customs, culture and enjoy traditional Vietnamese dishes.
Vietnam's tourism advantages are therefore not only in famous scenic spots but also in the ability to create experiences associated with the culture and life of each locality. In Duong Lam ancient village (Son Tay ward, Hanoi City), tourists not only visit ancient houses but can also register to participate in experiential activities, learn about customs, learn to wrap banh chung, make spring rolls and enjoy typical dishes such as gio, banh chung, roasted meat, and Mia chicken.
When visiting the family of Ms. Do Thi Minh Nguyet in Duong Lam ancient village to learn to make spring rolls, Ms. Andrea Baker - an American tourist said that this is a particularly interesting experience. "Whenever we directly participate in activities, we clearly feel the meaningful cultural exchange" - Ms. Baker told Xinhua.
Ms. Baker was particularly impressed with the closeness and openness of local people when, during the experience, participants could comfortably chat, ask questions and share about the life and culture of both sides.
Ms. Baker's story has shown another aspect of the attractiveness of Vietnamese tourism. Besides the scenery and famous attractions, experiences associated with culture, people and local life are becoming an important part of creating the attractiveness of each journey.
When tourists not only stand outside to observe but also directly participate, learn and interact, each tourist destination has more opportunities to create their own mark. This is also a direction to help Vietnamese tourism improve its competitiveness, while bringing unique cultural values closer to tourists from many countries.
