HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s tourism sector is maintaining strong international visitor growth while expanding its reach across both traditional Asian markets and long-haul destinations, with nearly 16 million foreign arrivals recorded in the first eight months of 2026, according to the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).

Strong growth in long-haul markets

The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance reported that Việt Nam welcomed nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7 per cent from July and 18.4 per cent year-on-year. The figure represented 63.6 per cent of the tourism sector’s full-year target of 25 million arrivals.

Air travel remained the dominant mode of entry, accounting for 83 per cent of arrivals and playing a particularly important role in connecting Việt Nam with distant markets. Land arrivals also continued to rise, supported mainly by visitors from Southeast Asian countries.

Asia remained the largest source region, with about 11.8 million visitors, or nearly 74 per cent of total arrivals, up 7.4 per cent year-on-year.

Europe recorded the strongest growth, with around 2.68 million travellers, up 53.4 per cent. Visitors from the Americas rose 20.7 per cent to about 887,000, while arrivals from Oceania increased 23.3 per cent to nearly 489,000. African visitors numbered about 45,000, up 25.1 per cent.

VNAT said the figures reflected not only the solid foundation provided by nearby Asian markets but also significant expansion in long-haul markets. Strong growth from Europe, the Americas and Oceania is helping diversify Việt Nam’s international visitor base and strengthen the sector’s resilience to regional fluctuations.

India, Russia markets make spectacular breakthroughs

China remained Việt Nam’s largest source market in the first eight months, with 3.54 million arrivals, accounting for about 22.3 per cent of the total. South Korea ranked second with 2.76 million, or 17.3 per cent. Together, the two markets contributed more than 6.3 million visitors, nearly 40 per cent of all international arrivals.

Russia ranked third among the largest tourism source markets of Việt Nam, with more than 1 million arrivals, representing a year-on-year surge of 165.7 per cent.

The resumption and increased frequency of charter flights linking major Russian cities directly with Việt Nam’s coastal destinations have helped drive the growth. Destinations such as Nha Trang, Mũi Né and Phú Quốc remain attractive to Russian travellers thanks to their warm climate, diverse cuisine and modern resort facilities.

Other key markets also posted encouraging increases, including the Philippines (up 58.8 per cent), Cambodia (41.5 per cent), the US (20.4 per cent), Australia (23.3 per cent) and Japan (9.2 per cent). European markets likewise recorded solid growth, with arrivals from Poland up 51.2 per cent, Sweden 25.1 per cent, Germany 15.1 per cent, France 13.4 per cent, Switzerland 27 per cent and the UK 9.8 per cent.

The Indian outbound market has also made a spectacular breakthrough. While only about 102,000 Indian tourists travelled to Việt Nam in 2019, the figure surpassed 612,000 in the last eight months, making India one of Vietnam’s largest tourism source markets.

VNAT attributed the surge largely to the expanding network of direct flights. Vietjet Air and Việt Nam Airlines operate direct services linking New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad with Hà Nội, HCM City and Đà Nẵng, helping shorten travel times and reduce travel costs.

The results demonstrate that Việt Nam’s tourism growth is broadening beyond traditional markets. With nearly 16 million international arrivals after eight months and the peak tourism season approaching, the sector has favourable conditions to move closer to its target of 25 million foreign visitors this year. — VNA/VNS