Despite positive signals in the first quarter of 2026, rising airfares and intensifying regional competition have pushed the tourism sector into a challenging transitional phase. In this context, the entire industry needs to implement coordinated demand-stimulation measures, adjust its approach to growth targets, and seize emerging opportunities to sustain strong momentum.

As the country enters a new phase of development, the tourism sector faces a significant opportunity to assert itself as a key growth driving force of the economy. In this context, improving the institution and policy and creating an open, modern development environment has become essential to accelerating momentum.

Looking back at 2025, the culture, sports and tourism sector faced many difficulties and challenges, but also achieved remarkably brilliant achievements, with the return of traditional culture, the explosion of artistic products imbued with national pride, spectacular breakthroughs, and new recognitions of the world.

Ha Noi welcomed around 560,000 visitors during the New Year holiday from January 1 to 4, earning a total revenue of 2.1 trillion VND (nearly 79.85 million USD), marking increases of 250% in volume and 254% in value compared to the same period last year.

Building on the strong recovery in 2025, when Viet Nam welcomed an estimated 21.5 million international visitors, the tourism sector has set an ambitious target of attracting 25 million foreign arrivals in 2026.

Viet Nam welcomed its 20th millionth international tourist in a single year for the first time at the Phu Quoc International Airport in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang on December 15, marking a historic milestone in the 65-year development of the country’s tourism sector.

Favourable visa policies, intensified tourism promotion programmes, activities celebrating major national holidays, and the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime (Ha Noi Convention) held in Ha Noi on October 25–26 have attracted a large number of international visitors to Viet Nam.

Viet Nam’s tourism sector is aiming for a very ambitious target of welcoming 25 million international visitors this year, requiring significant efforts from the entire industry, with facilitative policies and breakthrough, innovative solutions.

With its impressive growth momentum, tourism has been recognised as one of the top 10 highlights in Viet Nam's socio-economic landscape during the first half of this year.

The total number of international tourist arrivals to Viet Nam in the first six months of 2025 is estimated at 10,664,608, an increase of 20.7% compared to the same period in 2024. Domestic tourism is estimated at 77.5 million arrivals. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at 518 trillion VND.

In the first five months of 2025, Viet Nam welcomed more than 9.2 million international visitors, marking a 21.3% increase compared to the same period in 2024. In May alone, the number of international arrivals reached 1.53 million, up 10.5% year-on-year.

A wide variety of attractive cultural and tourism activities will be held across the capital city of Hanoi, during the upcoming holidays, which will fall from April 29 to May 3.