360-degree destination images featured on the vietnam.travel website. — Photo vietnamplus.vn

HÀ NỘI — The way travellers search for and choose destinations is increasingly shifting to the digital space, making online visibility an important part of competition among tourism markets. Việt Nam is also adapting its tourism promotion to this change, with digital platforms playing a growing role in reaching international visitors.

A search, video or travel story encountered online can influence a traveller’s choice before they make a booking. This has prompted tourism authorities to move beyond traditional destination promotion and pay greater attention to how tourism information is organised, presented and distributed online.

Vietnam.travel, the official tourism website of the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism, is one example.

According to Similarweb data, the website ranked second in Southeast Asia in web traffic in July 2026, behind Thailand and ahead of the national tourism websites of Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Rather than focusing only on individual destinations, vietnam.travel has increasingly organised its content around travel interests and experiences, including culture, nature, beaches and islands, adventure, cuisine, wellness, luxury travel and city breaks.

Photos, videos, articles and other multimedia content are combined to give visitors information about possible experiences and itineraries. Content is also developed around search trends and made available in different languages to reach international markets.

The change reflects a broader shift in tourism promotion, as websites and digital platforms are becoming part of the process through which travellers discover destinations and plan trips.

Digital transformation

The development of vietnam.travel is also linked to the direction of Resolution 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation and national digital transformation.

The resolution identifies science and technology, innovation and digital transformation as key drivers of a new development model, higher productivity and stronger competitiveness.

In tourism, digital transformation is not limited to putting information about destinations online. It involves making better use of data to understand visitor demand, developing content for different markets and connecting tourism products with potential travellers.

This approach is increasingly important as Việt Nam’s international tourism market expands.

The country welcomed 21.2 million international visitors in 2025, far exceeding the 18 million recorded in 2019. In the first seven months of 2026, nearly 14 million international visitors arrived, up 13.8 per cent year-on-year.

This growth creates opportunities, but also increases competition with other destinations in the region. Tourism promotion must reach potential visitors at an earlier stage, when they are still searching for ideas and comparing destinations.

Digital platforms provide an additional channel for doing this. They also allow tourism authorities to monitor visitor interests and adjust content according to changing search trends.

For Việt Nam, the development of digital tourism promotion is closely linked to the broader digital transformation agenda.

The next step for vietnam.travel is expected to focus on more personalised and multilingual content and stronger connections with the country’s digital tourism ecosystem. — VNS