Tourism in Vietnam is a component of the modern Vietnamese economy. In 2019, Vietnam received 18 million international arrivals, up from 2.1 million in the year 2000. The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism is following a long-term plan to diversify the tourism industry, which brings foreign exchange into the country.Vietnam country profile. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (December 2005). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Tourist arrivals in Vietnam have continued to rise in recent years. In 2008, Vietnam received 4.218 million international tourists, in 2009 the number was 3.8 million, down 11%. In 2012, Vietnam received 6.84 million tourists. This was a 13% increase from 2011 figure of 6 million international visitors, which was itself a rise of 2 million visitors relative to 2010 arrivals. In 2016, Vietnam welcomed 10 million international visitors which represented a 26% increase from the previous year.
In 2019, Vietnam with 18 million international visitors was the fifth most visited country in the Asia-Pacific region as per the World Tourism rankings released by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. The Vietnamese tourist industry was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with visitor numbers reduced to 3.84 million in 2020, comparable to 2009 numbers. Visitors have steadily increased after the pandemic, reaching 21.2 million in 2025.
Tourism in the economy Tourism is important in Vietnam. For backpackers, culture and nature lovers, beach-lovers, military soldiers and veterans, Vietnam has become a new tourist destination in Southeast Asia. Local and international tour operators offer tours to ethnic minority groups, walking and bicycle tours, photography tours, kayak trips and multi-country trips in particular with neighboring Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Foreign tourists have been able to travel freely in the country since 1997.
The economy of Vietnam has transformed from an agrarian to a service economy. More than a third of gross domestic product is generated by services, which include the hotel and catering industry and transportation. The manufacturing and construction (28 percent), agriculture and fisheries (20 percent) and mining (10 percent) have much smaller shares.
Tourism contributes 4.5 percent to gross domestic product (as of 2007). After heavy industry and urban development, most foreign investment in Vietnam has been concentrated in tourism, especially in hotel projects.
According to usual report of World Tourism and Travel Council, tourism contributed 6.6 percent to GDP equal VND 279,287 billion (03/2016) which has important contribution promoting development of related sectors such as transportation, entertainment, cuisine etc.
Tourism statistics
International visitors
+Yearly tourist arrivals in millions
Data source: Ministry of Culture, Sport & Tourism YearTouristArrivalsChange9/202617,680,71414,5%202521,168,29120.4%202417,583,90139.5%202312,602,434 44.2%20223,440,019 98.2%20213,500−99%20203,686,779−78%201918,008,59116.2%201815,497,79119.9%2017 12,922,15129.1%201610,012,73526%20157,943,6510.9%20147,874,3124%20137,572,35210.60%20126,847,67810.8%20116,014,03219.1%20105,049,85534.8%20093,772,359−10.9%20084,253,7400.6%20074,171,56416%20063,583,4863%20053,467,75718.4%20042,927,87620.5%20032,429,600−7.6%20022,628,20012.8%20012,330,8008.9%20002,140,10020.0%19991,781,80017.2%19981,520,100−11.4%19971,715,6006.7%19961,607,20018.9%19951,351,300
Top countries Data Source: Ministry of Culture, Sport & Tourism Country9/202620252024202320223/202020192018 2017 2016 3,953,4295,282,0023,738,126 1,743,204 71,862871,8196,806,4254,966,468 4,008,253 2,696,848 3,058,9964,331,4114,568,941 3,595,062769,167 819,0894,290,802 3,485,406 2,415,245 1,543,883 964,0241,231,5101,288,861851,024 89,463192,216 926,744 714,112 616,232 507,301 746,158848,727779,795 717,073215,274172,706746,171687,226 614,117 552,644 674,421814,169 711,464589,522 128,764200,346951,962 826,674 798,119 740,592 670,972746,480501,427 145,340N/A N/AN/AN/A N/A N/A 1,134,058689,714232,300125,610 28,056244,966 646,524606,637 574,164 433,987 *688,352687,132474,580402,062 140,461 120,430227,910202,954 222,614 211,949 *478,431573,716495,383470,105135,007 116,221606,206540,119 480,456 407,574 485,306548,471490,880 390,087 99,15692,227383,511386,934 370,438 320,678 *522,718482,173265,947 153,16836,281 36,969179,190151,641 133,543 110,967 * 359,527457,775418,054489,174 162,567 125,725509,802 349,310 301,587 266,984 *348,043401,420347,495 328,195128,399 51,726308,969286,246 277,658 257,041 299,643368,318306,194253,522 67,33781,433315,084298,114 283,537 254,841 276,817337,729278,943 215,508 58,10774,480287,655279,659 255,369 240,808 239,429 291,039 249,517200,425 59,97561,465226,792213,986 199,872 176,015 * 194,303207,196184,093 105,38026,338 21,446106,68887,941 81,065 69,653 *151,367179,340148,655 120,52247,002 36,81098,492120,009 141,588 137,004 150,551173,391152,527133,49337,894 41,807 159,121149,535 138,242 122,929 83,918107,35888,91257,054 15,05117,77470,79865,562 58,041 51,265 66,95497,44291,37076,087 22,51111,78383,59777,071 69,528 57,957 79,49391,70978,04368,05719,756 18,26581,09277,300 72,277 64,712 68,48372,92851,157 N/AN/A N/AN/A N/A N/A N/A 51,96957,12847,963 33,7308,681 9,47047,08849,854 49,115 42,588 36,38041,41036,920 30,2318,250 14,44442,04339,926 34,720 30,996 34,13539,87533,58427,9298,025 10,84536,57734,541 33,123 31,475 33,24739,49934,26725,755 6,48721,85750,70449,723 44,045 37,679 31,82637,56631,73026,353 8,1047,45234,18731,382 29,144 26,231 29,31033,26427,93622,7175,235 8,95828,03726,13424,293 23,110 23,981N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Total17,680,71421,168,29117,583,90112,602,434 3,661,2223,686,77918,008,59115,497,791 12,922,151 10,012,735 * Country in ASEAN
Destinations and attractions
National parks of Vietnam Vietnam has 31 national parks: Ba Bể, Ba Vì, Bạch Mã, Bái Tử Long, Bến En, Bidoup Núi Bà, Bù Gia Mập, Cát Bà, Cát Tiên, Chư Mom Ray, Chư Yang Sin, Côn Đảo, Cúc Phương, Hoàng Liên, Kon Ka Kinh, Lò Gò–Xa Mát, Cape Cà Mau, Núi Chúa, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, Phú Quốc, Phước Bình, Pù Mát, Tam Đảo, Tràm Chim, U Minh Hạ, U Minh Thượng, Vũ Quang, Xuân Sơn, Xuân Thủy, Yok Đôn.
World Heritage sites
Huế, Hội An, Mỹ Sơn (Quảng Nam province), Hạ Long Bay (Quảng Ninh province), Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park (Quảng Bình province), Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long (Hanoi) and Citadel of the Hồ Dynasty (Thanh Hóa province). Hạ Long Bay is one of New Seven Natural Wonders of the world.
Man and the Biosphere Programme
Vietnam has eleven world biosphere reserves, from north to south: Cát Bà (Hai Phong), Red River Delta (Thai Binh, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh), Western Nghệ An (Nghe An), Cù Lao Chàm (Quang Nam), Kon Hà Nừng (Gia Lai), Langbiang (Lam Dong), Núi Chúa (Ninh Thuan), Đồng Nai (Dong Nai), Cần Giờ (Ho Chi Minh City), Kiên Giang (Kien Giang) and Cape Cà Mau (Ca Mau).
Foreign tourist highly recommend the rural Vietnam and see it as the most beautiful in East Asia (Da Nang-Hue are a "want to go back every year" place)
National tourist area
Vietnam now has 21 national tourist areas, major tourist sites that are state recognized:
Sa Pa (Lào Cai), Ba Bể (Bắc Kạn), Hạ Long Bay – Cát Bà Island (Quảng Ninh, Hai Phong), Ba Vì National Park (Hanoi), Perfume Pagoda (Hanoi), Cổ Loa Citadel (Hanoi), Tam Cốc-Bích Động (Ninh Bình), Kim Liên (Nghệ An), Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park (Quảng Bình), Ho Chi Minh trail (Quảng Trị), Lăng Cô – Hải Vân Pass – Non Nuoc (Huế and Da Nang), Hội An (Quảng Nam), Van Phong Bay (Khánh Hòa), Phan Thiết – Mũi Né (Bình Thuận), Dankia – Yellow Springs, Tuyền Lâm Lake (Lâm Đồng), Cần Giờ Mangrove Forest (Ho Chi Minh City), Côn Đảo (Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu), Long Hai beach (Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu), Phú Quốc (Kiên Giang), Biosphere Reserve Cape Cà Mau (Cà Mau).
Cities
Since 2014, Hanoi has consistently been voted in the world's top ten destinations by TripAdvisor. It ranked 8th in 2014, 4th in 2015 and 8th in 2016.
In 2014, Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City appeared in TripAdvisor's 2014 Traveller's Choice Awards for the top 25 destinations in Asia. Hanoi was ranked second, Hoi An tenth and Ho Chi Minh City eighteenth. In 2017, Đà Lạt is in the list of Asia's overlooked places by the CNN. International tourist arrivals
International airports
Air travel is the most popular form of travel for international arrivals to Vietnam; in 2013, nearly 6 million of the 7.6 million total international arrivals were by air. Tan Son Nhat International Airport, which serves Ho Chi Minh City, is the busiest airport with the largest visitor volume. On the other hand, Noi Bai International Airport, serving Hanoi, is the largest airport in terms of land area and total capacity after its opening of the modern international terminal. Other major airports include Da Nang International Airport, Cam Ranh International Airport and Cat Bi International Airport. In March 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has suspended issuance of all tourist visa; however, as of September 2020, the country is still closed for foreign tourists until 2022, with plans to reopen for tourism from a limited number of Asian countries. In March 2022, Vietnam reopened to foreign tourist arrivals after COVID border closures. The industry did struggle to recovery initially, however, in the first seven months of 2024 the country welcomed 9,983,703 foreign tourists putting Vietnam on track to reach its 2019 peak of 19 million tourist arrivals.
Military tourism
Throughout thousands of years, wars played a great role in shaping the identity and culture of people inhabited the land which is modern day Vietnam. There are numerous historical sites from Ancient Vietnam to the First Indochina War and the Second Indochina War.
Most notable ancient sites include:
Citadel of the Ho Dynasty Imperial City of Hue Mỹ Sơn
Most notable places from the First and Second Indochina War (Vietnam War) for tourists are:
Củ Chi tunnels War Remnants Museum Vietnam Military History Museum Hoa Lo Prison
Concerns Vietnam's tourism is facing numerous issues such as environmental pollution, poorly maintained heritage sites, aggressive solicitation of tourists, arbitrary price hikes for accommodations, poor infrastructure and transportation, substandard services, and ineffective management. According to industry assessments, since 2006, over 70% of international tourists who visit Vietnam have no intention of returning.
Due to these shortcomings compared to neighboring countries, Vietnam's tourism sector overly exploits natural attractions. The commercialization of these sites, allowing companies to charge entrance fees—often at high rates—without adequate maintenance, has led to the deterioration or damage of many landscapes, such as Voi Waterfall and Lien Khuong Waterfall. In early 2017, during a conference reviewing the 2016 performance and setting tasks for 2017, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc directed the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to address the issue of tourists not returning to Vietnam. He expressed, "I just checked my smartphone and read an article listing seven fears of visiting Vietnam: overcharging, robbery, lack of hygiene."
Medical & Wellness Tourism Vietnam has rapidly emerged as a prominent hub for medical and wellness tourism in Southeast Asia, driven by an annual medical sector growth rate of 18% to 20%. The country attracts approximately 300,000 medical tourists annually, generating an estimated US$2 billion in revenue. Key drivers of this boom include a central geographic location, political stability, a burgeoning middle class, and highly affordable treatment costs compared to regional neighbors.