Vietnam targets 23 million foreign tourists in 2025

Speaking at a conference on Thursday, Pham Van Thuy, deputy director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said the country’s tourism industry has significantly contributed to GDP growth, created numerous jobs and improved the quality of life for people.

By 2025, the sector aims to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels, achieving an annual domestic visitor growth rate of 8–9%.

In 2023, tourism accounted for 7% of GDP while figures for 2024 have not yet been released.

Vietnam is expected to welcome 17–17.5 million foreign tourists this year. As of November, the country had recorded 15.8 million international arrivals and earned VND758 trillion (US$29 billion) in tourism revenues.

The 11-month figure reached 88% of this year’s target of 18 million arrivals, marking a 41% year-on-year increase.

Looking ahead to 2030, Vietnam’s tourism industry aims to become a spearhead economic sector, targeting 35 million international visitors and 160 million domestic tourists. The sector aims to contribute 10–13% to GDP, creating over 10 million jobs.

Vu The Binh, chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, said the sector achieved unprecedented growth during the 2017–2019 period, contributing 9.2% to GDP.

However, he acknowledged that tourism has yet to become a key economic sector due to unresolved weaknesses.

Nguyen Quoc Ky, chairman of leading tour operator Vietravel, said Vietnam’s tourism GDP contribution remains below the global average of 10.3%.

Ky compared Vietnam’s tourism GDP contribution in 2023 to other countries in the region: Thailand (23%), the Philippines (22.5%), and Cambodia (25.8%).

Experts emphasized the need for Vietnam to reassess its competitiveness and policy framework to address challenges faced by businesses in the sector.