Data released by the General Statistics Office show that international arrivals in December alone exceeded 2 million, an increase of 15.7 per cent compared with the same month last year. For the whole of 2025, Vietnam welcomed almost 21.2 million foreign visitors, up 20.4 per cent from 2024.
China was the largest source market, with more than 5.28 million arrivals, a rise of 41.3 per cent year on year. South Korea ranked second with over 4.33 million visitors, followed by Taiwan, China, with 1.23 million.
Other markets in Vietnam’s top 10 included the United States with nearly 849,000 arrivals, Japan with more than 814,000, India with 746,480, Russia with 689,714, Cambodia with 687,132, Malaysia with 573,716 and Australia with 548,471.
Russia recorded the strongest growth in 2025, with arrivals surging by 196.9 per cent compared with 2024. The emerging Indian market also rose sharply by 48.9 per cent, driven by a series of new direct flights operated by domestic airlines linking Vietnam with major Indian cities.
Several other markets posted notable increases, including the Philippines at 81.3 per cent, Cambodia at 44.8 per cent and China at 41.3 per cent.
More flexible visa policies also delivered clear gains, with arrivals from European countries all recording double digit growth. France rose by 21.2 per cent, the United Kingdom by 20.3 per cent, Italy by 20.7 per cent, Poland by 42.6 per cent, Norway by 19.1 per cent and the Netherlands by 17.5 per cent.
According to the General Statistics Office, breakthrough visa reforms, renewed promotion efforts, product diversification and improved service quality were key factors attracting international visitors to Vietnam in 2025.
Although the total fell short of the most ambitious target of 23 to 25 million visitors, this was the first time Vietnam’s tourism industry surpassed 21 million international arrivals, marking an important step in its recovery and deeper integration into the global tourism market.
