Vietnam recorded 6.76 million international arrivals in the first quarter of 2026, the highest figure ever for the period, according to the National Statistics Office.
The country received nearly 2.1 million foreign visitors in March, up 1.3 per cent year on year. Overall arrivals in the first three months rose by more than 12 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Authorities attributed the strong growth to Vietnam’s stable political and social environment, improved safety and more open visa policies. Enhanced tourism promotion, diversified products and improved service quality have also contributed to the increase.
Air travel remained the dominant entry channel, accounting for 5.56 million arrivals, or more than 82 per cent of the total, up 7 per cent year on year.
Land arrivals surged by 53 per cent to 1.05 million, representing 15.5 per cent of total visitors, while sea arrivals rose by more than 11 per cent to over 148,200.
Asia continued to be Vietnam’s largest source market, contributing more than 4.9 million visitors, slightly higher than the same period last year.
China was the biggest source market with more than 1.4 million arrivals, followed by the Republic of Korea with over 1.32 million visitors.
Several regional markets posted strong growth, including India and the Philippines, both rising by more than 169 per cent year on year, and Indonesia, which increased by nearly 144 per cent.
Europe recorded the fastest growth rate, with more than 1.23 million visitors in the first quarter, up nearly 156 per cent year on year.
The surge was largely driven by a sharp rebound in Russian arrivals, which reached nearly 367,170, up 294.5 per cent compared with the same period last year.
Other regions, including the Americas and Oceania, also saw steady growth, with 403,175 and 189,670 visitors respectively.
In contrast, outbound travel by Vietnamese residents declined significantly to around 1.2 million trips in the first quarter, down 55 per cent year on year.
Domestically, while the price index for culture, entertainment and tourism services edged down slightly in March due to lower hotel demand, package tour prices continued to rise.
Tour prices increased by 0.81 per cent, including a 1.36 per cent rise for outbound tours and a 0.72 per cent increase for domestic tours, driven mainly by higher transportation, accommodation and service costs.
