Viet Nam posts 21% growth in inbound tourism in January-June period

Viet Nam’s tourism has shown strong recovery post-pandemic. In 2024, international arrivals reached 17.5 million, up about 39.5 percent year-on-year. That number is almost back to pre-pandemic levels — about 97.6 percent of 2019’s (~18 million) arrivals. The country targets to welcome 22-23 million foreign visitors and 120-130 million domestic tourists.

UN Tourism reported that nearly 690 million tourists traveled internationally between January and June 2025, an increase of about 33 million compared to the same period in 2024.

The organization reported mixed results across regions, with Africa recording the strongest performance and Asia-Pacific continuing its rebound toward pre-pandemic levels.

Asia and the Pacific recorded an 11 percent increase, reaching 92 percent of pre-pandemic levels. North-East Asia grew 20 percent compared to 2024 but remained 8 percent below 2019 levels.

Japan and Viet Nam posted 21 percent growth, South Korea 15 percent, and Morocco 19 percent. Mexico and the Netherlands each recorded 7 percent growth, while Malaysia and Indonesia both rose 9 percent. France and Spain, the world's top destinations, each grew 5 percent.

Data from IATA showed international air traffic and capacity grew 7 percent  in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024.

In 2024, international tourism receipts grew 11 percent to a record US$1.734 trillion, 14 percent above pre-pandemic levels in real terms, reflecting strong visitor spending worldwide. 

Economic pressures and geopolitical uncertainty remain the main risks for global tourism. High transport and accommodation costs were identified as the top challenge in the September 2025 survey of UN Tourism’s Panel of Experts. Tourism inflation is projected to ease from 8.0 percent in 2024 to 6.8 percent in 2025, still above pre-pandemic levels of 3.1 percent./.