It is an impressive transformation journey of the country's tourism industry, from a rich resource base, unique cultural identity to thorough investment in policies, infrastructure and digital transformation.
Vietnam - attractive tourist destination
In the ever-changing flow of global tourism, Vietnam emerges as one of the most attractive destinations in Asia - a place where special values of nature, culture, people and history converge.
With its central geographical location in Southeast Asia, diverse terrain, regional climate, a coastline of more than 3,260 km and thousands of large and small islands, Vietnam possesses ideal natural conditions for developing year-round tourism with many diverse types - from beach resorts, forest ecotourism, cave exploration, adventure sports to cultural, spiritual and community tourism.
In Ha Long Bay, cruises are a traditional form of tourism. Photo: Minh Duc - VNA
Not only blessed by nature, Vietnam is also a treasure trove of vibrant and multi-layered culture. The country currently has over 40,000 historical and cultural relics, including dozens of heritages recognized by UNESCO such as Ha Long Bay, Trang An, Hoi An Ancient Town, Hue Royal Court Music, Central Highlands Gong Cultural Space... along with thousands of traditional festivals associated with folk beliefs, agricultural rituals, and community culture. That culture has been preserved and spread through many generations, and is a unique soft resource that helps Vietnam strongly develop heritage tourism, experiential tourism, and academic tourism.
Vietnamese cuisine is also a rare competitive advantage. From pho, Hanoi bun cha, Hue beef noodle soup, mussel rice, to Southern Hu Tieu or rustic street food... all create a symphony of taste, attracting both domestic and international tourists. Many Vietnamese dishes have been honored on world culinary rankings such as Michelin, CNN, Lonely Planet... contributing to raising the country's image on the global culinary map.
Besides nature and culture, the gentle, hospitable, and unique Vietnamese people are the glue that keeps tourists coming back. Friendly smiles and sincerity in each local experience are intangible but powerful values, making the journey to discover Vietnam always leave a beautiful impression in the hearts of international friends. All of these factors have harmoniously combined to create a Vietnam that is not only rich in potential, but is truly a unique and unique destination.
Natural tectonics make Ha Long Bay have many beautiful rocky islands and caves. Photo: Hoang Hieu - VNA
Effectively promoting existing potentials, Vietnam's tourism industry has made a clear transformation in recent years, demonstrated through expanding its scale, improving service quality and increasingly affirming its competitive position on the regional and world tourism map.
The tourism infrastructure system has been invested synchronously with the increasing appearance of international-class resorts, high-class hotels and modern conference centers. Many localities have proactively built typical products: sea and island tourism associated with high-class resorts, eco-tourism associated with environmental conservation, community tourism associated with cultural identity and new and attractive forms of experiential tourism. Many destinations such as Quang Ninh, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa, An Giang... have formed a modern tourism ecosystem, combining resort infrastructure, entertainment and digital technology applications, contributing to enhancing the experience and increasing the value of the domestic tourism industry.
Khau Coc Cha Pass, a pass with majestic beauty of mountains and forests in the Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark. Photo: VNA
Impressive growth, reaching the world
Thanks to that, Vietnam's tourism industry has achieved impressive results. The number of international tourists to Vietnam has increased every year. If in 1990 there were only 250 thousand international tourists to Vietnam, in 2019 it reached more than 18 million, an increase of 72 times. The annual growth rate often reaches double digits, especially in the period 2015-2019 reaching 22.7% per year - ranked by the World Tourism Organization as the highest in the world. Domestic tourists also increased 85 times, from 1 million in 1990 to 85 million in 2019.
After the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam's tourism has gradually recovered strongly. In 2024, Vietnam welcomed over 17.5 million international visitors, an increase of nearly 40% compared to 2023. In addition, domestic tourists also reached over 110 million, clearly reflecting the attractiveness of the domestic market and the growing role of people in "Vietnamese people traveling to Vietnam". Total revenue from tourists in 2024 is estimated at about 840 trillion VND, an increase of 23.8% compared to 2023.
Tourists visit Trang An Eco-tourism Complex in late August 2024. Photo: Duc Phuong - VNA
In the first 5 months of 2025, international visitors to Vietnam reached 9.2 million, an increase of more than 21% over the same period in 2024. These figures are not only a testament to the strong recovery momentum, but also demonstrate the inner strength of Vietnam's tourism industry on its journey to becoming a pillar of sustainable growth of the economy.
Notably, Vietnam is increasingly being recognized and honored internationally on many prestigious rankings. In 2024, the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) selected Tra Que village (Quang Nam) as one of the "Best Tourist Villages in the World", following the success of Thai Hai village (Thai Nguyen, 2022) and Tan Hoa village (Quang Binh, 2023). In addition, Vietnam has been continuously honored at the World Travel Awards with rankings such as: "Asia's Leading Destination" and "Asia's Leading Heritage Destination", Hanoi is "Asia's Leading Short-Term City Destination", Da Nang is "Asia's Leading Festival - Event City", Hoi An continues to be honored as "Asia's Leading Cultural Tourism City", while Ha Giang and Moc Chau respectively won the awards "Regional Cultural Destination" and "Asia's Leading Regional Natural Destination". Phu Quoc is also in the top 25 most beautiful islands in the world voted by Travel + Leisure magazine, contributing to making Vietnam's image increasingly prominent on the global tourism map.
The Kissing Bridge tourist spot in An Thoi ward, Phu Quoc city (Kien Giang). Photo: Le Huy Hai - VNA
In addition to the explosion in quantity and revenue, a notable trend is the strong shift towards sustainable tourism, green tourism, community tourism and experiential tourism. Homestay models associated with agriculture and traditional craft villages in localities such as Sa Pa, Mai Chau, Mu Cang Chai, Dak Lak, Vinh Long, etc. are increasingly attracting tourists thanks to their authenticity and connection with local cultural life. This is not only an effective way to exploit resources but also contributes to spreading cultural values, increasing people's income, aiming at the goal of inclusive development and harmony between economy, society and environment.
It can be said that Vietnam tourism is entering a new stage of development - more solid, more professional and more profound. Potential is no longer a theoretical concept, but has been transformed into concrete values, through data, through works, through international titles and above all, through the spread of the image of a dynamic, friendly and hospitable Vietnam on the world tourism map.
Mu Cang Chai at its most beautiful time of the year when the rice is golden ripe across the terraced fields. Photo: Tuan Anh - VNA
Developing sustainable tourism through policy, infrastructure and digital transformation
The achievements in the tourism sector are not only thanks to the rich and diverse resources that nature and history have bestowed upon the country, but also come from the attention, direction and long-term, systematic investment of the Party and State.
Since the country entered the Doi Moi period, tourism has been identified as a potential field that needs to be exploited and developed. By 2017, when the Politburo issued Resolution No. 08-NQ/TW on developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector, the position of the tourism industry was truly affirmed at the national level. This Resolution not only established the role of tourism in the socio-economic development strategy, but also set out the requirement to innovate development thinking towards professionalism, modernity, efficiency, and international competitiveness.
In that spirit, the Government has issued a series of strategies, action programs and support policies, notably the Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy to 2030, approved in Decision No. 147/QD-TTg dated January 22, 2020. The strategy not only identifies major orientations for product development, markets, infrastructure, human resources and destination management, but also demonstrates the State's determination to build a modern, sustainable tourism industry with regional and international competitiveness.
In addition, visa exemption policies for citizens of many countries, expansion of e-visa issuance, increased length of stay, and promotion of direct international flights have also been promoted, contributing to increasing access to the international tourism market. Most recently, Vietnam Airlines has opened a direct flight to Milan (Italy) from July 1, 2025.
Vietnam Airlines aircraft. Photo: Tuan Anh - VNA
In particular, the Government has focused on investing in tourism infrastructure through strategic transport development programs, airport systems, seaports, and highways connecting key tourism areas. Localities are encouraged to develop tourism plans that are consistent with local characteristics, develop unique products, improve service quality, and build destination brands.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has focused on innovating the content and methods of promotion, promoting the public-private partnership mechanism to successfully implement programs to promote Vietnamese tourism abroad, focusing on countries with comprehensive strategic partnerships such as China, Korea, Japan, the US, Australia, Russia, France, etc., along with a series of programs to introduce Vietnamese tourism at festivals, cultural events, tourism, and international tourism fairs abroad.
A notable highlight in the direction of the Party and Government in recent years is the emphasis on sustainability and digital transformation. Implementing that policy, many localities such as Quang Ninh, Quang Nam (now Da Nang City), Thua Thien Hue, Khanh Hoa have successfully deployed green tourism models, zero-waste tourism, digital tourism maps, and smart destination coordination centers. The combination of modern technology and local cultural identity is opening up new directions for the tourism industry - both enhancing the tourist experience and preserving and promoting heritage values.
In addition to the efforts from the Central Government, localities and enterprises have also demonstrated their proactive and creative roles. Public-private cooperation in tourism has been increasingly expanded. Many large enterprises have invested in hotel systems, resorts, and entertainment complexes, contributing to improving the quality of national tourism infrastructure. At the same time, regional and industry linkage models have also been effectively promoted, especially in areas such as the Northwest, South Central Coast, Central Highlands, and the Mekong Delta.
Under the lonely tree canopy in the middle of the Central Highlands fields, silhouettes of people walk silently in the brilliant sunset, like a symphony between humans and nature. A magical moment, where the past, present and future intersect in the colors of heaven and earth. Photo: Pham Tuan Anh - VNA
However, to maintain growth momentum and sustainable development, Vietnam's tourism industry still faces many difficulties and challenges. Some destinations are under pressure from infrastructure overload during peak season; high-quality human resources are still lacking; tourism products in many localities are still overlapping, lacking connectivity and innovation. Along with that, the requirements for green development, climate change adaptation, preserving cultural identity and ensuring harmony of community interests are becoming increasingly urgent in the process of expanding the scale of the industry.
In the future, the development orientation of Vietnam's tourism will continue to focus on quality, sustainability, creativity and deep integration. As Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has repeatedly emphasized: tourism development is not only for economic growth, but more importantly, to improve people's lives, promote the national image and preserve national cultural identity. This spirit is the red thread running through the policies and solutions being implemented, aiming to build a truly professional, unique and profound Vietnamese tourism industry, becoming a green, safe and attractive destination in the region and the world.
Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/ngay-du-lich-viet-nam-09-7-khoi-day-tiem-luc-dinh-hinh-ban-sac-huong-toi-phat-trien-ben-vung-2025070816070798.htm
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