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| International tourists at Kem Beach in the Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone (An Giang). (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam welcomed more than 17.7 million international visitors in the first nine months of 2026, up 14.5% year-on-year, reaching nearly 71% of its target, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.
September alone saw 1.77 million foreign visitors arrive in Vietnam, up 16.1% from the same month last year.
Air travel remained the dominant mode, accounting for 83.2% of total international arrivals in the nine-month period, followed by land travel at 15.4% and sea travel at 1.4%.
China and the Republic of Korea remained Vietnam’s largest source markets, together accounting for nearly 40% of total arrivals. China topped the list with 3.9 million visitors, or 22.4%, followed by the RoK with 3 million, or 17.3%.
Russia ranked third with around 1.1 million arrivals, making it Vietnam’s largest European source market. It was followed by Taiwan (China) with 964,000, and the US with 764,000.
Other markets among the top 10 included Cambodia with 688,000 arrivals, Japan 674,000, the Philippines 523,000, India 505,000 and Australia 485,000.
European markets posted the strongest growth, rising 55% year-on-year, while arrivals from Oceania, the Americas and Africa increased 21%, 20% and 29.4%, respectively. The Asian market grew 7.6%.
Russia recorded particularly strong growth, with more than 1 million visitors, up 160.6%. The market has strong demand for beach holidays, long stays and winter escapes, supported by improved air connectivity and Vietnam’s growing resort capacity.
Other European markets also posted solid growth, including France at 13.6%, the UK at 9.7%, Germany at 16.1%, Poland at 49%, the Czech Republic at 26.6%, Belgium at 19.5%, Sweden at 23.6% and Switzerland at 25.7%.
Asia remained Vietnam’s largest source region, accounting for 74.5% of total international arrivals. However, growth was relatively modest as major Northeast Asian markets saw limited gains or declines. Chinese arrivals rose 1.5%, while those from the RoK fell 5.5% and Taiwan (China) increased 4.1%.
Meanwhile, Southeast Asian markets delivered robust growth, led by the Philippines at 55.2%, Cambodia 40.5%, Singapore 29.8%, Indonesia 25.5%, Malaysia 18.1% and Thailand 10.1%. India and Australia also recorded strong increases of 33% and 21%, respectively.
Vietnam’s tourism growth came amid continued challenges facing global travel, including geopolitical tensions, sluggish economic conditions, high transport and energy costs, intensifying competition among destinations and rapidly changing travel demand.
Against this backdrop, Vietnam’s double-digit growth in the first nine months reflects the country’s growing appeal of the destination, supported by safety and stability, market diversification, a wide range of tourism products, improved air connectivity and growing service capacity.
The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism said the results indicate that the sector is gradually shifting towards deeper, quality-oriented and sustainable growth. The focus is increasingly on not only attracting more visitors but also extending their stays, increasing spending and enhancing the quality and added value of tourism experiences./.
