For the first time, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) has coordinated with localities and stakeholders to announce a unified national tourism promotion programme that consolidates domestic and international activities across central agencies, local authorities and businesses.
The inititative for 2026 marks a breakthrough in strategic thinking and demonstrates a shared determination to drive the entire sector toward common goals.
Vietnam’s tourism brand is demonstrating strong momentum and robust recovery amid record-breaking international arrivals, driven not only by market demand but also by renewed thinking and innovative approaches to destination promotion and marketing, according to the VNAT.
Accelerating growth with record milestones
The year 2025 closed with a series of notable achievements, particularly the strong transformation in tourism promotion activities, laying a solid stepping stone for the sector to enter 2026 with renewed confidence and momentum.
Recent data show the number of international arrivals in Vietnam repeatedly setting new records, surpassing 21 million visitors for the first time in 2025 and reaching 2.5 million arrivals in January 2026 alone.
The VNAT assessed that these results reaffirm tourism as a bright spot in the country’s socio-economic landscape and a key pillar supporting economic growth.
Throughout 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, together with its VNAT, implemented a tourism stimulus programme aimed at capitalising on the more open visa policy introduced by the Government. Promotion efforts evolved beyond image popularisation into a broader strategy focused on enhancing destination competitiveness, expanding markets and attracting higher-quality visitor segments.
A notable highlight was the effective implementation of public – private partnerships, enabling greater social resource mobilisation to expand both the scale and effects of promotion programmes.
A wide range of tourism promotion events were organised across key and emerging markets, directly connecting Vietnamese travel businesses with international partners, helping restore visitor flows and strengthen market confidence in Vietnam as a destination.
With targets of welcoming 25 million international visitors and serving 150 million domestic travellers this year, the VNAT stressed that promotion and marketing remain a decisive factor. Achieving these goals requires a shift from fragmented to coordinated efforts, and from short-term campaigns to long-term strategic planning, alongside stronger emphasis on quality growth, competitiveness and sustainability.
Leveraging culture, arts to promote tourism
A defining feature of recent promotion efforts is the diversification of communication formats, linking tourism with culture, the arts, cinema and major diplomatic events. Highlights included tourism promotion activities at the Cannes Film Festival and alongside the P4G Summit held in Hanoi.
Vietnam’s tourism brand also maintained a strong presence at leading global travel forums and fairs such as ITB Berlin, World Travel Market London, and Travex within the ASEAN Tourism Forum framework.
Through these platforms, Vietnam consistently promoted an in-depth destination image associated with safety, friendliness, rich cultural identity and increasingly diverse travel experiences. The events also enabled the tourism sector to capture market trends and expand international partnerships amid intensifying competition among global destinations.
Domestically, tourism promotion activities remained vibrant. Programmes under Visit Vietnam Year – Hue 2025, together with major tourism fairs such as the Vietnam International Travel Mart Hanoi (VITM) and International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City (ITE HCMC), along with numerous local events, attracted large numbers of both domestic and international visitors.
The tourism sector has also strengthened international cooperation through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms. Promotion activities linked with cultural diplomacy and people-to-people exchanges have helped expand visitor markets while enhancing Vietnam’s tourism image and standing in the world.
At the same time, digital communications have been intensified to promote Vietnamese tourism worldwide. The official tourism website vietnam.travel has risen to the second place in the Southeast Asia rankings, reflecting the effectiveness of more modern, professional and market-oriented digital communication strategies.
These innovations in promotion, marketing and digital outreach have played a crucial role in bringing Vietnam’s landscapes, people and culture closer to international visitors, earning recognition through numerous prestigious global tourism awards in 2025./.
