Uncle Ho chatting with hero Titov and Soviet friends on a cruise ship to visit Ha Long Bay in 1962. Photo archive
July 9, 1960 - The birth of Vietnam's tourism industry
On July 9, 1960, according to Decree No. 26/CP of Prime Minister Pham Van Dong, Vietnam Tourism Company was established, officially marking the birth of the country's tourism industry. In the context of war, when the whole country was focusing on building socialism in the North and fighting to liberate the South, establishing a new economic sector such as tourism was a bold step, of long-term strategic significance of the Party and State.
Tam Dao - an ideal resort in the North. Illustration photo
Although still young, the early period of Vietnam's tourism industry was scientifically organized to meet the requirements of welcoming and serving delegations of the Party and State, and international expert delegations to contribute to the construction of socialism in the North. Not only that, tourism activities also served cadres, war invalids and workers on vacation. Accommodation facilities and resorts were gradually formed in areas with cool climates and beautiful landscapes such as Sa Pa, Tam Dao, Do Son...
After the country's reunification in 1975, the tourism industry entered a new phase, taking over and developing the tourism system in the southern provinces and cities such as Saigon, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Can Tho , Con Dao... Potential tourist centers were gradually restored and put into operation, creating a premise for the vibrant development phase later on.
Vietnam's railway tourism is on the way to innovation and development. Illustrative photos
The period of innovation and opening up: International integration, promoting the role of an important economic sector
The important turning point came in 1986, when the country implemented the Renovation and opened up for integration. Tourism, from an industry that mainly serves internal and external affairs, has transformed into an economic sector with investment attraction, high growth potential and the ability to spread widely to many other fields.
In 1992, the General Department of Tourism was established, marking the elevation of state management of the industry. Policies to encourage tourism development were gradually improved. In particular, documents such as Directive 46 of the Central Party Secretariat (1994) on "Leading innovation and tourism development in the new situation". In particular, Notice of Conclusion 179 of the Politburo (1998) on "Tourism development in the new situation". This is a guiding document that lays the foundation for many important documents, policies and mechanisms for Vietnam Tourism in the renovation period, including the Tourism Ordinance (1999), the State Steering Committee on Tourism (1999), the National Action Program on Tourism (2000), and the Vietnam Tourism Development Strategy for the period 2001-2010.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam chaired the third meeting of the State Steering Committee on Tourism. Photo: File
Nearly 20 years later, in 2017, the Politburo issued Resolution 08-NQ/TW on "Developing tourism into a spearhead economic sector", demonstrating the highest political determination of the Party and State to create a legal basis and strong driving force for the tourism industry to develop rapidly.
The period 1990-2019 witnesses a period of continuous growth in the tourism industry. The number of international visitors in 2019 reached 18 million, 72 times higher than in 1990 (250 thousand); the number of domestic visitors reached 85 million; total tourism reached 755 trillion VND; tourism contributed 9.2% of GDP. Important international markets such as Northeast Asia, ASEAN, Europe, America, Australia... were gradually expanded. Competitiveness was improved thanks to product diversification, infrastructure investment and service quality improvement.
Vietnam Tourism celebrates the 10 millionth international visitors (December 2016)
Strongly overcome the pandemic, firmly step into the new era
The 2020-2025 period witnesses the tourism industry's strong efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented challenge in history. Vietnam's tourism industry was severely affected: international flights were suspended, tourism activities were "frozen", at times 90-95% of tourism businesses had to stop operating, workers in the industry lost their jobs, many had to switch to other fields to make a living. In that context, restoring the tourism industry became an urgent and vital task.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the Conference on rapid and sustainable tourism development in November 2023. Photo: Government Newspaper
With a proactive and flexible adaptability spirit, the Vietnamese tourism industry has implemented many innovative and creative solutions to maintain operations and adapt to reality. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has demonstrated a central role in advising and creating policies, making many strategic proposals to "unfreeze" the industry, promoting recovery in the new normal conditions, including financial support policies for businesses and workers affected by the epidemic and proposals to reopen tourism when the epidemic is under control. This is a period when the industry must both respond flexibly and create a foundation for recovery and breakthroughs in the future.
Immediately after Vietnam officially opened its doors to tourism from March 15, 2022, a series of measures were implemented synchronously and consistently, demonstrating determination in consulting and directing. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh himself chaired 3 major national conferences on tourism in just over a year to remove difficulties and promote tourism recovery.
As a result, the Government and the Prime Minister have issued many breakthrough policies, typically: Resolution 82/NQ-CP (2023) on tasks and solutions to accelerate the recovery and effective and sustainable development of tourism; Directive 08/CT-TTg (2024) on comprehensive, rapid and sustainable tourism development; Official Dispatch 06/CD-TTg (2024) requires the improvement of the effectiveness of statistical work to serve the development of tourism policies; Decision 509/QD-TTg (2024) approving the Tourism System Planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2045; Official Dispatch 34/CD-TTg (2025) on promoting tourism development, ensuring the implementation of double-digit economic growth rates.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation participated and witnessed the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding on tourism promotion cooperation between the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization within the framework of the Vietnam - Korea Tourism Promotion and Cultural Cooperation Forum (July 2024).
Along with that, the Government has issued new policies on visa exemption with temporary stay period increased from 15 days to 45 days; granting e-visas to all countries with temporary stay period up to 90 days; Exempting short-term visas for the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland under the tourism development stimulus program in 2025... thereby paving the way for strongly attracting international visitors to Vietnam. Notably, the Government has also officially applied retail electricity prices for tourist accommodation establishments equivalent to those for production establishments. These are all the results of persistent consultation from the central tourism management agency, relevant ministries, localities, and enterprises, which have brought about clear positive effects.
At the same time, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the whole industry have focused on innovating the content and methods of promotion, enhancing digital transformation, applying technology to support management, business and tourism promotion, exploiting the potential of tourism promotion through cinema. Strengthening tourism links with fields such as culture and arts, sports, agriculture, railways, aviation, healthcare, science and technology, etc. to develop an increasingly diverse and attractive tourism product system. Strengthening domestic links, implementing domestic tourism stimulus. Promoting international cooperation, enhancing the position of Vietnamese tourism in the world.
For the first time, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized a promotion of Vietnamese tourism and cinema in the United States (September 2024).
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism organizes promotion of Vietnamese cinema tourism at Cannes Film Festival, France (May 2025)
Thanks to the right and timely policies, Vietnam's tourism has made an impressive recovery. In 2022, the number of international visitors reached 3.7 million, in 2023 it reached 12.6 million and in 2024 it reached 17.6 million, equivalent to 98% compared to 2019 - the highest recovery rate in the ASEAN region. Domestic visitors in 2024 reached 110 million, total revenue from tourism reached 840,000 billion VND, up 24% over the previous year. In the first six months of 2025, continuing to maintain strong growth momentum, Vietnam welcomed nearly 10.7 million international visitors, up 20.7% over the same period in 2024; served 77.5 million domestic visitors; total revenue from tourism reached 515,000 billion VND. Tourism is evaluated by the Government as a bright spot in the overall socio-economic development.
The growth of Vietnam's tourism industry is clearly demonstrated through the numbers: Accommodation facilities increased from 350 in 1990 to more than 40,000 in 2025 with 700,000 rooms, including hundreds of 4-5 star hotels, meeting the increasing needs of tourists. Travel businesses are growing rapidly: from only 4 units in 1990 to more than 4,200 businesses in 2025. The number of tour guides is increasing, with more than 44,000 tour guide cards currently issued - a to the explosion of market demand, the growth and professionalization of businesses and workers in the industry. These results affirm the attractiveness of Vietnam as a destination, and at the same time demonstrate the ability of tourism to attract investment, contributing to the economic restructuring towards services - consumption - innovation. |
Vietnam National Administration of Tourism was honored as Asia's Leading Tourism Management Agency for the fourth time.
The efforts of Vietnam Tourism have been recognized by the international community, award organizations, and international media agencies. Typically, the World Travel Awards has honored Vietnam as "World's Leading Heritage Destination" 5 times; "Asia's Leading Destination" 6 times. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has been honored "Asia's Leading Tourism Management Agency" 4 times (2017, 2021, 2022, 2023).
The achievements of Vietnam's tourism industry over the past 65 years are the result of the attention and close direction of the Party and State, the support and effective coordination of ministries, branches and localities, the companionship of enterprises and international partners, and especially the dedication of generations of leaders, cadres and workers in the tourism industry.
With the desire to reach out, the spirit of innovation and faith in the future, Vietnam's tourism industry is ready to enter a new stage of development - comprehensive, professional, sustainable, affirming its role as a key economic sector, contributing to realizing the aspiration to develop a rich and prosperous country in the new era.
According to Tourist Information Center
Source: https://bvhttdl.gov.vn/tu-hao-chang-duong-65-nam-nganh-du-lich-viet-nam-hoi-nhap-phat-trien-va-toa-sang-20250708080956756.htm
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