According to major tour companies, the most popular destinations for Vietnamese tourists in 2024 were Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, and Japan. Thailand, with its Bangkok-Pattaya and Chiang Mai five-day tours, was the leading destination.
Ha Anh, head of communications at the Hanoi branch of Vietravel, said Thailand is consistently the top choice of the giant tourism company’s customers. In 2024, Thailand attracted 3.5 times the number of clients as the second most popular destination, South Korea, she said.
Vietnamese tourists traveling to Thailand to support the Vietnamese national football team at the ASEAN Cup final, Jan. 4, 2025. Photo by Thanh Dat/Read |
Tours to Thailand typically cost VND5-9 million (US$200-350) on regular days and VND9-12 million ($350-470) during the Tet holidays.
“Reasonable prices and convenient timings are the key reasons why five-day Thailand tours are consistently bestsellers,” Anh said.
Other travel companies like Saigontourist, Vietluxtour, and Redtours also said tours of Thailand are the most popular among their offerings. According to statistics from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the total number of Vietnamese visitors to the neighboring country in 2024 had reached 980,000 by November. In comparison, 600,000 and 500,000 Vietnamese visited Japan and South Korea during the period.
A large number of Vietnamese travelers also visit Thailand on their own. Vietnamese tourists are the second highest spenders in Thailand after Myanmarese, according to the tourism authority. Its spokesperson said in September 2024 that Vietnamese tourists were divided almost equally between first-time and repeat visitors.
Besides the reasonable costs, Thailand also attracts Vietnamese for its cuisine and cultural similarities.
During Tetwhen Vietnamese will have a nine-day break from Jan. 25, Thailand remains the top destination.
According to Tran Thi Bao Thu, marketing and communications director at Vietluxtour, Thailand tours are appealing to Vietnamese visitors also because of destinations that offer a variety of activities such as beach games and entertainment shows.
“Tet tours often involve families across 2-3 generations traveling together, and so budgeting is crucial.”
In 2025 travel companies expect the top destinations for Vietnamese tourists to largely remain unchanged.
Besides Thailand, China is also becoming increasingly popular due to its diverse attractions and the influence of media and social networks, according to Thu.
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