Vietnam's tourism sector is setting ambitious goals for 2026, targeting 25 million international visitors and 150 million domestic travelers. This represents an 11-16% increase from 2025. Total tourism revenue is projected to reach 1.125 trillion VND, an 11% rise from 1 trillion VND in 2025. These targets follow a record-breaking year in 2025, when Vietnam welcomed 21.5 million international visitors for the first time, along with 135 million domestic travelers, both up 22% compared to 2024. Total revenue in 2025 reached an estimated 1 trillion VND, marking a new high for international visitor growth and overall revenue.
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Tourists visit Phu Quoc special zone, 12/2025. Photo: Thanh Nguyen
These figures were announced at the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism's "Review of 2025 Work and Deployment of 2026 Tasks" conference on the morning of 24/12. To achieve these goals, Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, stated that the sector will focus on improving the institutional framework and amending the 2017 Tourism Law. The Authority will also advise the government on policies to remove obstacles for service businesses and collaborate with localities to develop tourism products tailored to regional strengths.
The Authority recognizes significant growth potential in the international market due to increasingly open visa policies. Concurrently, domestic tourism is seeing a strong shift towards independent travel. However, Vu Van Tuyen, General Director of Travellogy Vietnam, highlighted that the sector's primary challenge is ensuring sustainable growth, not just increasing visitor numbers.
"Vietnam needs to prioritize investing in connecting transport infrastructure and enhancing service quality at destinations, rather than spreading investments thinly," Tuyen advised. He emphasized that visa policy remains a crucial lever, but it requires stability, consistency, and easy accessibility for international visitors.
For 2026, the tourism sector will also focus on improving capacity management at key destinations and accelerating digital transformation to ensure visitor safety.
Phuong Anh
