(TITC) – According to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance, Vietnam welcomed an estimated 1.67 million international visitors in July 2026, up 6.6% compared to the same month last year. During the first seven months of 2026, the country received 13.9 million international arrivals, an increase of 13.8% year-on-year, achieving approximately 56% of its target of welcoming 25 million international visitors for the year.
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This performance is particularly encouraging given the persistent global uncertainties and the fact that Vietnam is currently in its traditional low season for international tourism. Maintaining double-digit growth underscores the country’s enduring appeal as a destination while reflecting the effectiveness of visa facilitation measures, expanded international air connectivity, enhanced destination marketing, and continuous improvements in tourism products and service quality.
China and South Korea remain the largest source markets
China continued to be Vietnam’s largest source market, with approximately 3.1 million arrivals, accounting for 22.2% of total international visitors. South Korea ranked second with 2.4 million arrivals, reaffirming its position as one of Vietnam’s most important and stable traditional tourism markets.
Russia remained the standout performer, recording 864,000 arrivals, a remarkable 174% increase compared to the same period in 2025 and more than double the pre-pandemic level in 2019. This performance enabled Russia to retain its position as Vietnam’s third-largest source market and the largest European market. The strong recovery reflects the successful restoration of direct flights, increased flight frequencies, and the growing demand among Russian travelers for leisure holidays in Vietnam.
Among Vietnam’s ten largest source markets, Northeast Asia continued to dominate, represented by China (3.1 million arrivals), South Korea (2.4 million), Taiwan (China) (747,000), and Japan (498,000). Southeast Asia contributed two markets to the top ten, with Cambodia (565,000 arrivals) and the Philippines (417,000). South Asia was represented by India (553,000 arrivals), highlighting the rapidly growing potential of an outbound market with increasing travel demand and relatively high spending power. The top ten also included long-haul markets such as Russia (864,000 arrivals), the United States (617,000), and Australia (397,000).
Figure 1. International visitors in 7 months (million of arrivals)
Europe leads growth among source markets
Europe continued to be the brightest growth region, recording an average increase of 53.4% compared to the same period last year. Besides Russia, several other European markets also posted impressive growth, including Poland (+51.3%), Czechia (+28.6%), Sweden (+24.7%), and Switzerland (+21.7%).
These markets all benefit from Vietnam’s visa exemption policy, demonstrating the tangible impact of entry facilitation measures in stimulating international arrivals. As Europe is also a high-spending long-haul market, its strong performance indicates not only quantitative growth but also a qualitative improvement in Vietnam’s tourism development.
Within Asia, the Philippines recorded the fastest growth, with arrivals increasing 63.6% year-on-year. Other markets also delivered strong performances, including India (+42.9%), Cambodia (+40.8%), Singapore (+31.0%), Indonesia (+27.3%), and Malaysia (+21.6%).
These figures reaffirm Asia’s role as the primary engine of Vietnam’s tourism growth, supported by geographical proximity, an expanding network of direct air services, and rising demand for intra-regional travel.
Long-haul markets also sustained healthy growth. Visitor arrivals from the United States rose 18.3%, Canada increased 25.1%, Australia grew 22.5%, and New Zealand expanded 22.4%.
Growth from these high-spending markets contributes not only to higher visitor numbers but also to greater tourism value through longer average stays and higher per-capita expenditure.
Figure 2. Top 10 source markets in the 7 months of 2026 (thousands of arrivals)
On track toward the 2026 target
Having welcomed more than 13.9 million international visitors during the first seven months of the year, Vietnam has already achieved 56% of its annual target. As the country enters the peak inbound tourism season from late Q3 through Q4, continued implementation of favorable visa policies, expanded international air connectivity, diversified tourism products, and intensified promotion in key source markets are expected to sustain growth momentum and support Vietnam’s goal of attracting 25 million international visitors in 2026.
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