Foreign visitors to Vietnam near 10.7 million in H1, half of full-year target
The H1 figure stood at 49% of the full-year target of 22-23 million tourists, but it should be noted that the peak international tourism season in Vietnam lasts from October to March.
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam welcomed nearly 10.7 million international arrivals in the first half of 2025, marking an increase of nearly 21% compared to the same period last year, and up 26% compared to 2019 – the ‘golden era’ of Vietnamese tourism before COVID-19 pandemic struck.
According to newly released data from the National Statistics Office, in June alone, Vietnam received nearly 1.5 million foreign visitors, down 4% from the previous month.
The H1 figure stood at 49% of the full-year target of 22-23 million tourists, but it should be noted that the peak international tourism season in Vietnam lasts from October to March.
Air travel remained dominant, with over 9 million arrivals by air (accounting for over 85% of the total number, and up by 22.7% year-on-year, followed by nearly 1.4 million by land, and the remainder arriving by sea.
Asia remained the largest market, accounting for over 8.41 million visitors (over 78%), marking a 21.1% increaseඣ year-on-year. Arrivals from Europe rose 26.5% to 1.34 million, while visitors froꦕm the Americas grew 8.6% to 582,800.
Cruise vessel Piano Land brings some 1,000 holidaymakers to Ha Long city in Quang Ninh province. (Photo: VNA)
Tourist numbers from Oceania reached 304,200, up 14.1%, whereas arrivals from Africa edged down 0.3% to 25,200.
Tourists from Northeast Asia account for 60% of total international visitors to Vietnam in the first half. Chinese tourists continue to top the list with over 2.7 million arrivals, followed by those from the Republic of Korea with 2.2 million. Next in line are visitors from Japan, Taiwan (China), the United States, and India.
In the opposite direction, more than 4 million Vietnamese travelled abroad in the past six months – a rise of nearly 54% compared to the same period last year.
“Transport and tourism activities have surged to meet consumer demand both regionally and globally, making a positive contribution to economic growth. The value added by the service sector in the first half of the year rose by over 8% year-on-year – the highest rate for the same period since 2011,” the statistics office noted.
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