Nguyen Huong Thuy, human resources manager at Anex Vietnam Trading and Tourism Company, one of the operators driving a recovery of the Russian inbound tourism market after a hiatus, said the company has been struggling to find Russian-speaking since mid-2025.
Of its 43 tour guides, only 16 are Russian speakers.
The company expects to receive more than 183,000 visitors from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States between April and October this year.
It assigns English-speaking guides to some tour groups, but there are reportedly communication barriers.
Pegas Misr Vietnam Travel Company faces a similar challenge. Its president, Hoang Thi Phong Thu, said Russian-speaking guides are paid twice as much as English speakers, often in excess of $1,100 a month, yet their recruitment remains difficult.
Searches for candidates in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City have not very fruitful. The shortage has become increasingly apparent as Russian tourism rebounds sharply.
Khanh Hoa received more than 386,000 Russian visitors in the first four months of 2026, nearly five times the figure recorded a year earlier.
The province receives 10-12 flights carrying around 2,000-2,500 tourists from Russian each day, many of whom stay between nine and 14 days.
Thai Thi Le Hang, director of its Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said of the province’s 1,538 licensed international tour guides, only 83 are Russian speakers.
Industry officials blame the shortage on the dwindling interest in learning Russian and the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which drove many guides out of the profession.
The workforce has since struggled to recover at the same pace as tourism.
“Training high-quality Russian-speaking tour guides requires time and systematic investment,” Hang said.
Vietnamese law prohibits foreigners from working as tour guides. Travel companies that employ them face fines of VND80-90 million ($3,000-3,500) and the suspension of their license for up to 18 months.
Businesses have proposed a trial program in 2026-27 that will allow foreign staff to work as language support and customer service personnel.
They insist the foreigners will not replace Vietnamese tour guides and remain under strict oversight.
The tourism department said it is working with Khanh Hoa University and the province’s tourism association to launch specialized and short-term Russian training programs.
Travel firms participating in the initiative will be required to commit to hiring the trainees after completion.
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