Foreign visitors at cafes in the ancient town Hội An, Đà Nẵng City. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has welcomed nearly 21.17 million international visitors in 2025, up by an impressive 20.4 per cent from a year earlier, marking the first time the country’s tourism industry has surpassed the 21-million threshold, official data showed on Monday.

According to the National Statistics Office of Việt Nam, international arrivals in December alone exceeded 2.02 million, a 15.7 per cent increase year on year, rounding off a strong recovery year for the sector after the slump in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic.

Against a backdrop of gradual global tourism recovery, Việt Nam's growth has emerged as a standout. The country's 2025 growth far outpaces the global average growth rate of around 5 per cent and the roughly 8 per cent increase recorded across the Asia–Pacific region, the data showed.

China regained its position as Việt Nam's largest source market, sending more than 5.28 million visitors in 2025. That figure was 41.3 per cent higher than in 2024 and equivalent to about 91 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2019, the data showed.

South Korea ranked second with more than 4.33 million arrivals, followed by Taiwan (China) with around 1.23 million, although both markets posted slight declines from the previous year.

Russia recorded the fastest growth among Việt Nam's major source markets, with nearly 690,000 visitors in 2025 – almost three times the 2024 figure and slightly above the pre-COVID record of about 646,500 arrivals in 2019. The surge lifted Russia to sixth place among Việt Nam's top inbound markets, while Thailand slipped to 12th.

Other major sources included the United States, Japan, India, Cambodia, Malaysia and Australia, with nine of the top ten markets unchanged from 2024.

Foreign tourists try out bamboo flutes as part of a cultural activity held in the pedestrian space around Hoàn Kiếm Lake in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

Per breakdown by methods of travel, of the total arrivals,, more than 17.8 million international visitors arrived by air in 2025, accounting for 84.3 per cent, translating to a 20.2 per cent increase from the previous year. Arrivals by land reached nearly 3.1 million, representing 14.4 per cent of the total and rising 22.6 per cent year on year, while sea arrivals stood at about 273,900, making up 1.3 per cent and up 10.4 per cent, according to the report.

Tourism authorities attributed the recovery to more relaxed visa rules, expanded marketing campaigns, improved services and a wider range of travel products, as well as stronger air connectivity through new scheduled and charter flights from major cities.

By region, Asia continued to dominate arrivals with more than 16.6 million visitors, accounting for the bulk of international traffic. Europe contributed about 2.77 million visitors, the Americas just over 1.1 million, Oceania around 607,000 and Africa about 56,000, official figures showed.

Despite missing an earlier target of 23–25 million foreign visitors, officials said the 2025 result marked a new phase in Việt Nam's integration into the global tourism market and provided a foundation for higher growth in coming years.

Việt Nam's tourism authorities have set an ambitious target for 2026, aiming to attract 25 million international visitors, serve about 150 million domestic trips and generate roughly VNĐ1.125 quadrillion in tourism revenue.

Outbound travel by Vietnamese citizens also rose sharply. About 6.7 million Vietnamese travelled abroad in 2025, up 26.4 per cent from a year earlier, with 1.3 million trips recorded in the fourth quarter alone, the statistics office said. — VNS

International tourists pick souvenirs at Bến Thành Market in HCM City. — VNA/VNS Photo