Vietnam welcomes 4.7mn int’l visitors in first 2 months of 2026, up 18% year on year

Of the total, more than 3.8 million visitors (81.8 percent) arrived by air, 741,200 (15.8 percent) by road, and 109,500 (2.4 percent) by sea, up 12.8 percent, 58.6 percent, and 10.2 percent from a year earlier, respectively.

According to the NSO, breakthrough visa policies, renewed tourism promotion efforts, greater product diversification, and improved service quality have helped draw more international visitors to Vietnam.

In February alone, the country recorded more than 2.2 million international arrivals, marking the third consecutive month Vietnam has welcomed over two million visitors.

The January–February total of 4.7 million visitors already accounts for nearly 19 percent of the country’s full-year international tourism target.

Asia remained Vietnam’s largest source market, with about 3.4 million visitors, representing 73 percent of total arrivals.

South Korea was the largest source market, sending nearly 971,000 visitors to Vietnam during the two-month period, up about 10 percent year on year.

China ranked second with around 923,000 arrivals.

Several Southeast Asian markets posted strong growth compared to the same period of last year.

Arrivals from the Philippines rose 72 percent, while those from Singapore increased 35 percent, Indonesia 27 percent, and Malaysia 16.5 percent.

In addition to traditional markets, India has emerged as a fast-growing source market for Vietnam, with 158,000 visitors in the first two months, up more than 71 percent from a year ago.

Europe also recorded strong growth, contributing around 847,000 visitors during the period, an increase of 67.4 percent year on year.

Russia remained the largest European source market, with about 247,000 arrivals, up 212.5 percent.

European travelers typically stay longer and spend more, helping boost the overall economic value of the tourism sector.

The Americas maintained steady growth, with roughly 278,000 visitors during the January–February period.

The U.S. remained among Vietnam’s top 10 source markets, with about 210,000 visitors, up 16.3 percent from a year earlier.

The first two months saw about 130,000 visitors from Australia, up 14.6 percent year on year.

The tourism sector aims to welcome 25 million international visitors and 150 million domestic travelers in 2026 and generate total revenue of VND1.125 quadrillion (US$42.9 billion), representing increases of 16.3 percent, 10.7 percent, and 12.5 percent, respectively, from 2025, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.