Vietnam inspires: 7.67 million tourists and major challenges!

Vietnam inspires: 7.67 million tourists and major challenges!

Vietnam is experiencing a significant increase in international visitor numbers. According to that General Statistics Office The number of international tourists in the first four months of 2025 is estimated to be around 7.67 million. This represents an impressive increase of 23.8% compared to the previous year. This development reflects the growing interest in Vietnam as a travel destination.

Most international tourists come from Korea, China, India, the Philippines and Russia. Factors such as direct flights and visa incentives play a crucial role in attracting foreign guests. Vietnam also plans to open up new international markets, particularly in the wealthy Middle East, to further increase visitor numbers.

Tourism industry under pressure

Nevertheless, the Vietnamese tourism industry faces challenges. Some provinces are currently unable to meet tourism needs. Above all, the focus is on the quality of the accommodation offers. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has conducted a regulatory compliance inspection in the field of tourist accommodation in Da Nang. Hotels with unrealistic star ratings were discovered on online booking platforms. In total, four hotels were asked to remove their unrecognized or expired star ratings.

The necessary improvement in hotel quality, the language skills of the tour guides and the satisfaction of tourists is a central concern. Especially considering that a strong global tourism recovery is expected in 2025, Vietnam needs to take decisive steps to compete internationally.

Factors for future success

A decline in the number of international visitors to Vietnam can be observed at the beginning of the summer season. In addition, domestic tourists tend to seek new and more attractive destinations. Therefore, it is urgent for all levels and sectors in Vietnam to improve service quality, infrastructure and communication work to attract and retain tourists.

Of central importance are the challenges that the Vietnamese tourism industry must overcome. These include inconsistent service quality, misleading advertising and violations of the law. To address this, the ministry is planning a comprehensive inspection process covering international travel companies, accommodation establishments, tourist areas and guidebooks. Particular attention is paid to those places that give incorrect quality and star information or give themselves stars.

Popularity of the destinations

According to international travelers, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are among the most popular cities in Vietnam. While Ho Chi Minh City ranked 76th among the world's most popular cities in 2024, Hanoi ranked 83rd. These rankings demonstrate Vietnam's growing attractiveness on the global tourism scene.

The development of the tourism sector in Vietnam is remarkable. In 2003, tourism income was around 1.24 billion euros, while before the corona pandemic in 2019 it increased to 10.57 billion euros. However, the sector experienced a decline in 2020 to €2.83 billion, a drastic decline of 73%. Future strategies must aim to revisit and expand beyond the heights reached before the pandemic.

The Vietnamese tourism industry is therefore at a turning point and must vigorously overcome the challenges ahead in order to fully exploit the immense potential that the country offers.