Data from the Ministry of Finance showed that Vietnam welcomed more than 2.03 million international visitors in April, up 122.8 per cent from a year earlier.
In the first four months of the year, Vietnam received 8.8 million visitors, up 14.6 per cent year on year. That was also the highest figure ever recorded for the first four months of any year.
Against the target of 25 million international visitors in 2026, the tourism sector has completed 35 per cent of its plan.
Vietnam's appeal to travellers has been driven by a stable and safe socio-political environment, increasingly open visa policies, more professional promotion and marketing, a diverse range of products aligned with travel trends, and steadily improving service quality, providing an important foundation for attracting international visitors.
By market, China remained the biggest source of visitors to Vietnam in April, with more than 449,000 arrivals.
Over the four-month period, arrivals from China reached 1.85 million, up 94 per cent from the same period last year. South Korea ranked second, with more than 320,000 visitors to Vietnam in April.
Foreign visitors are drawn to Vietnam's beautiful coastal destinations (Photo: DY).
In the first four months of the year, the 10 largest source markets for Vietnam were China, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, Cambodia, the United States, India, Japan, Australia and the Philippines. China and South Korea alone accounted for 39.8 per cent of all international arrivals.
The Philippines entered the top 10 for the first time, posting an impressive 183 per cent increase from April last year to 72,827 visitors.
Vietnam's international visitor mix is becoming more diversified, with a growing number of promising markets offering substantial room for expansion.
In particular, Europe recorded the strongest growth in arrivals to Vietnam in the first four months of the year, rising 53.3 per cent from a year earlier. Countries granted visa exemptions by Vietnam, including Poland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, posted strong growth of 52.7 per cent, 19.4 per cent and 23.1 per cent respectively.
Notably, arrivals from Russia reached 504,389, up more than 300 per cent in the first four months of the year from the same period last year. Vietnam's appeal to Russian tourists has been supported by convenient direct flights, resort services, strong amenities, scenic landscapes and safety.
The growth in Vietnam's tourism sector came as Thailand welcomed 11.3 million international visitors in the first four months of 2026, down 3.4 per cent year on year.
In the first quarter of 2026, Singapore received 4.4 million visitors, up 2.8 per cent, while Indonesia welcomed 3.51 million and the Philippines 1.83 million.
To help Vietnam reach its target of 25 million visitors in 2026, experts said the country needed to maintain stable and effective open visa policies, launch more international air routes, especially direct flights to the United States and Europe, and develop more nationally significant tourism products with breakout appeal, such as an international fireworks festival or world-class sporting events capable of drawing large numbers of visitors at the same time.
