Vietnam tourism 'wins big' on National Day September 2

The 4-day National Day holiday on September 2, 2025, has created a big boost for Vietnam's tourism industry. Across the provinces and cities, the number of domestic and international visitors has increased sharply, contributing to the recovery and development of tourism after the pandemic. Many cultural activities, festivals and attractive stimulus programs have been organized simultaneously, attracting a large number of tourists. This impressive result helps Vietnam get closer to its goal of welcoming 25 million international visitors and 150 million domestic visitors in 2025.

During this year's National Day holiday, Hai Phong Museum (branch 2) welcomed about 4,000 visitors. Photo: Manh Minh/VNA

Hanoi tourism sets new record

As the venue for the important event of the National Day Parade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on September 2 and the National Achievements Exhibition, Hanoi Capital welcomed more than 2.08 million visitors, 3 times higher than the same period in 2024. Of which, international visitors are estimated to welcome over 80,000 visitors, an increase of 35% over the same period in 2024 (some leading visitors include: China, Korea, India, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia...). Total tourism revenue is about 4,500 billion VND (about 170.8 million USD), an increase of about 80% over the same period in 2024.

According to the assessment of the Chairman of the UNESCO Hanoi Travel Club, Truong Quoc Hung, the growth in the number of international visitors during the recent National Day holiday is a positive signal for Vietnam tourism right at the time when the international tourist season is about to begin (the fourth quarter of the year). This result is thanks to the activeness of localities and businesses in focusing on investing and renewing tourism products to suit the needs of international visitors.

The 3-5 star hotel block has high room occupancy rate, many hotels achieved high occupancy rate from 97-100% on September 1 such as: Thang Long Opera Hotel, Larosa, Bao Son, Novotel Thai Ha, Daewoo Hotel; Pullman Hanoi, Grand Mercue... According to statistics from the Hanoi Department of Tourism, it is estimated that during the 4-day holiday, the average room occupancy rate of hotels and tourist apartments reached about 83%, an increase of 22.6 percentage points compared to the same period in 2024.

Some tourist attractions in Hanoi such as: Hanoi Zoo welcomed about 33,000 visitors; Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam welcomed about 18,000 visitors, Hoa Lo Prison welcomed 26,420 visitors, Co Loa relic welcomed 5,670 visitors, Thang Long Imperial Citadel welcomed about 33,000 visitors.

In addition, the Hanoi Department of Tourism has directed and coordinated with many units to organize a variety of activities, programs, and destinations, contributing to attracting a large number of people and domestic and international tourists. Public spaces and central areas such as Ba Dinh Square, the Opera House, Hoan Kiem Lake, etc. are brightly decorated, becoming attractive destinations for people and tourists to check-in, have fun, and enjoy their vacation.

Hanoi Department of Tourism in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board presented 35,000 gifts to visitors to the Mausoleum, demonstrating respect and responsibility in the reception work, while spreading the values ​​of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style. On the evening of August 30, the festive atmosphere spread throughout the capital with the program "Ba Dinh Red"; On August 31, Hanoi introduced a new tourist route "The Hanoi Train - Hanoi 5 Cua O Tourist Train" connecting Hanoi - Bac Ninh by a unique 2-storey train. Hanoi also welcomed a group of international reporters and overseas Vietnamese to experience the ancient pottery village of Bat Trang.

During this time, city tours and historical tours "exploded", many travel companies were fully booked 1-2 months in advance. According to a summary from travel companies, this year many tourists tend to choose to travel early (from August 27-28) to be back before September 2 to watch the parade. The number of domestic tours during this time at many travel companies accounts for 60% of the total number of tours.

Notably, the National Achievements Exhibition with the theme "80 years of Independence - Freedom - Happiness journey" with 230 booths of Ministries, branches, 34 provinces, cities and hundreds of enterprises invested in extremely grand and modern style at the Vietnam Exhibition Center (in Dong Anh commune, Hanoi) attracted nearly 1.2 million visitors in the first 3 days of opening to welcome guests and continued to be a destination attracting a "huge" number of visitors in the following days.

Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism Tran Trung Hieu said that the entire tourism industry in the capital has made efforts, determination, initiative, solidarity and promoted a sense of responsibility to best serve tourists during the recent holidays.

Bustling tourism in many provinces and cities

The 4-day National Day holiday on September 2nd this year continues to be a "golden" time for domestic tourism. Many localities have recorded a sharp increase in the number of visitors, a variety of tourism products, and improved revenue. However, some northern provinces, especially coastal localities, have been affected by the weather, causing the number of visitors to decrease compared to the same period last year.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the total number of tourists reached about 1.45 million, including 45,600 international visitors. The number of visitors increased by nearly 15% but was lower than expected (20-25%). The number of guests staying reached about 300,000, with an average room occupancy rate of 87%. Tourism revenue was estimated at VND4,140 billion. Nearby tourist attractions such as Cu Chi Tunnels, War Remnants Museum, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Garden, Suoi Tien Tourist Area... continued to attract visitors. Waterway tours, culinary programs on ships and artistic fireworks displays also made their own mark during the holiday.

The weather in Da Nang is favorable, sunny and no rain during the day, so the number of tourists coming to the city to rest and have fun is higher than the September 2nd holiday last year. After the merger of Quang Nam province (old), Da Nang city welcomed more than 620,000 arrivals, an increase of 24%, especially international visitors increased by 49% over the same period. Total tourism revenue reached more than 2,200 billion VND, an increase of 28% over the same period in 2024.

According to Da Nang International Airport, from August 29 to September 2, the total number of flights to Da Nang airport was 687, with an average frequency of 137 flights/day (an increase of 18.4% compared to the same period in 2024). Chu Lai Airport welcomed 34 domestic flights, equivalent to the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, the number of passengers in the northern provinces and cities did not meet expectations due to the impact of weather, storms and storm delays.

In Hai Phong City, the number of tourists reached more than 1 million, an increase of 8% compared to 2024. Of which, international visitors reached more than 29,500, the average room occupancy rate reached 50%. Notable destinations such as: Cat Ba archipelago, Hon Dau, Dragon Hill area, Tue Tinh culinary street, and the system of cultural and historical relics all attract a large number of visitors.

In Quang Ninh province, the total number of tourists reached about 339,000, equal to 75% compared to the same period in 2024. Of which, there were 65,000 international visitors, 274,000 domestic visitors, and 134,000 overnight visitors. Total tourism revenue reached VND932 billion, equal to 90% of the previous year. However, the number of visitors decreased by 25% due to the impact of the storm, causing activities on Ha Long Bay and the island routes to be temporarily suspended for two days on August 30-31. However, destinations such as Ha Long Bay, Sun World Ha Long, Quang Ninh Museum, Ba Vang Pagoda, Yen Tu... still maintained a stable number of visitors. Notably, Mong Cai Border Gate welcomed 24,460 international visitors, demonstrating the recovery of the border tourist market.

In Thanh Hoa province, beach tourism has declined significantly. Tourist areas such as Sam Son and Hai Tien are less crowded than in the same period of previous years. Before the holiday, this area had continuous heavy rain, strong waves, and gloomy weather, making tourists hesitant. Many people canceled their tours or shortened their vacations, causing hotels, resorts, and coastal restaurants to become deserted. Mr. Pham Nguyen Hong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thanh Hoa province, said that due to the impact of storms and the attraction of the parade in Hanoi, the number of tourists to Thanh Hoa has decreased sharply compared to the same period last year.

Mr. Vu Quoc Tri, General Secretary of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said that early and widespread propaganda about the September 2nd holiday associated with the country's important historical event has helped the number of tourists increase rapidly during the recent holiday, especially domestic tourists. Tourism businesses, especially in Hanoi, have made efforts to meet the sudden, record-breaking increase in visitors. This is a positive signal for Vietnam tourism, creating motivation for the tourism industry nationwide to strive to complete the goal of welcoming visitors in 2025 in terms of growth in the number of visitors and the industry's revenue.

In general, the National Day holiday on September 2 this year has become a "peak" time for domestic tourism with a high number of visitors, good revenue and creative tourism products, spreading unique experiences of each region. Localities have proactively implemented stimulus policies, improved service quality, ensured safety and effective communication, thereby bringing attractive holiday itineraries to tourists and recording many positive results for the Vietnamese tourism industry.

VNA

Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/du-lich-viet-nam-thang-lon-dip-le-quoc-khanh-2-9-20250904082252432.htm