Vietnam sets a record by welcoming 6.76 million international visitors in Q1

In the context of world tourism being affected by geopolitical conflicts, transport disruptions and increased costs, Vietnam recorded impressive results when in March 2026 it welcomed nearly 2.1 million international visitors, bringing the total of the first quarter to 6.76 million visitors, an increase of 12.4% compared to the same period in 2025. This is the highest number ever, and also marks a record of three consecutive months of the international market exceeding the milestone of 2 million visitors.

International visitors to Vietnam mainly come by air with a proportion of 82.3%, followed by land routes 15.5% and sea routes 2.2%. The large proportion of aviation shows strong attraction from mid-range and long-distance markets, and also reflects tourists' confidence in safe and stable destinations.

In which, international visitors entering by land from neighboring markets such as China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand continue to play a role in maintaining growth, while cruise tourism still has a lot of room to exploit and increase spending value.

International visitors to Vietnam are mainly by air with a proportion of 82.3%, showing the key role of air connectivity in attracting mid-range and long-distance markets. Road visitors account for 15.5%, further affirming the stable role of neighboring markets such as China, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.

Sea tourists account for only 2.2%, showing that the cruise tourism segment still has a lot of development potential, especially with the advantage of a long coastline and the ability to exploit high-spending groups of tourists.

Regarding the market, China (1.4 million visitors) and South Korea (1.3 million visitors) are the two largest sources of visitors, accounting for about 40% of the total number of visitors. Southeast Asia recorded strong growth with many markets increasing by over 30%, in which Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia stood out; India continued to increase impressively by 69.3%.

Europe is a bright spot with a common increase of 55.6%, especially Russia increased by 163.4%, while markets such as the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Poland, Norway all grew positively. North America and Australia also maintained the upward momentum with the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism assesses that in the context of safety becoming an increasingly important selection criterion, Vietnam has emerged as a destination with a competitive advantage thanks to a stable political environment, guaranteed social order and effective risk control capabilities.

In addition, diverse tourism resources, experiential tourism trends, green and local tourism continue to increase attraction, in which the appearance of Son Doong cave on CBS's "60 Minutes" program contributes to spreading the image of Vietnamese tourism globally.

The open visa policy, e-visa expansion, lengthening of stay, increasing aviation connectivity and promotion activities in a professional direction, joining forces to break through are creating important momentum. In the context of rising travel costs, the advantage of "easy to get and easy to leave" helps Vietnam improve its competitiveness.

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