HÀ NỘI — The tourism sector is estimated to have welcomed and served around 6.5 million visitors during the five-day National Day holiday from August 29 to September 2, an increase of 18.1 per cent year-on-year, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT).

VNAT estimated that tourist arrivals rose sharply in various key destinations during the holiday.

HCM City welcomed about 1.7 million visitors, up 17.8 per cent year-on-year, with tourism revenue reaching approximately VNĐ4.9 trillion (roughly US$188 million).

The south-central province of Khánh Hòa recorded about 1.3 million visitors, generating an estimated VNĐ2.1 trillion, while Hà Nội welcomed more than 904,000 visitors, with tourism revenue estimated at over VNĐ3 trillion.

Đà Nẵng hosted approximately 850,000 visitors, up 37 per cent year-on-year, with tourism revenue estimated at over VNĐ3.3 trillion.

Ninh Bình Province received nearly 777,000 visitors, an increase of 84.1 per cent year-on-year, while tourism revenue exceeded VNĐ1 trillion.

Several other localities, including Lâm Đồng, Quảng Ninh, An Giang, Lào Cai and Thanh Hóa, also recorded high growth rates compared with the same period last year.

The figures demonstrate the continued appeal of the domestic tourism market and a shift in tourist flows towards destinations offering diverse experiences.

Preparations by local authorities and businesses helped support this growth, along with a wide range of cultural programmes, festivals and events. Most destinations maintained solid growth despite the peak summer tourism season having already passed, VNAT said.

Tourists tended to choose short, nearby or inter-provincial trips, with a preference for relaxation and greater flexibility in their choice of transport.

Resort tourism, nature exploration, culinary experiences and cultural activities continued to shape travel choices during the National Day holiday.

The increase in visitor numbers, together with sustained service quality, resulted from efforts by local authorities and businesses to develop new products, improve service quality and strengthen management to ensure safety and enhance visitor experiences.

International arrivals surge

According to VNAT, international tourist arrivals continued to rise at many key destinations during the five-day holiday, showing that Việt Nam's appeal to international travellers is strengthening.

The trend is a positive signal for international tourism in the final months of the year, particularly from October, when many source markets enter their peak travel season.

Đà Nẵng welcomed more than 224,000 international visitors during the holiday.

Ninh Bình Province received nearly 110,000, up 35.4 per cent year-on-year, while Khánh Hòa Province welcomed about 96,000 international visitors who stay overnight.

Hà Nội recorded approximately 94,000 foreign arrivals, up 82.4 per cent year-on-year, while HCM City welcomed around 62,000, up 37.8 per cent.

According to the latest data released by the National Statistics Office on Thursday, Việt Nam welcomed nearly two million international visitors in August, bringing the total number of foreign arrivals in the first eight months of the year to 15.9 million.

This was the highest number of international visitors recorded in the first eight-month period in recent years.

Of the total, 13.2 million visitors arrived by air, accounting for 83.1 per cent of all international arrivals and marking an increase of 11.6 per cent year-on-year.

Arrivals by land reached 2.5 million, accounting for 15.5 per cent of the total and rising 32 per cent year-on-year, while 220,600 visitors arrived by sea, making up 1.4 per cent of the total and increasing by 17.5 per cent.

China remained the largest source market with approximately 3.5 million arrivals, followed by South Korea with about 2.8 million in the first eight months of 2026.

Together, the two markets accounted for around 39.6 per cent of total international arrivals during the five-day period, reaffirming their role as key drivers of Vietnamese tourism growth.

The Russian market also continued its rapid rise, reaching approximately one million visitors, up 123.3 per cent year-on-year.

Russia thus became Việt Nam's largest European source market and the third largest overall.

Other Southeast Asian countries also helped drive Việt Nam's international tourism growth.

Among ASEAN markets, Cambodia posted the highest growth rate, with arrivals rising 47.4 per cent year-on-year. Singapore followed at 36.7 per cent, the Philippines at 28.7 per cent, Thailand at 28.8 per cent, Indonesia at 21.8 per cent and Malaysia at 12.3 per cent. — VNS