The first international visitors from South Korea arrived at Phu Quoc International Airport in the early hours of Jan. 1.
Airport representatives extended a warm welcome and conveyed their New Year wishes to all passengers.
The arrivals also received gifts, including vouchers for entertainment services at Sunset Town worth up to VND1 million (US$38) per person.
A group of South Korean tourists are welcomed at Phu Quoc International Airport on the morning of Jan. 1, 2026. Photo by SG |
Kim Min-soo, one of the first passengers to arrive from South Korea, shared enthusiastically: “This is my first time in Phu Quoc. We were truly surprised to receive New Year greetings and gifts from the airport right after stepping off the plane. I feel delighted and very excited about my first trip of the year.”
The welcome ceremony came as Phu Quoc concluded a year of exceptional growth. The island welcomed more than 8.1 million visitors in 2025, including 1.8 million international arrivals, generating record revenue of nearly VND44 trillion ($1.67 billion)—more than double that of the previous year.
Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism also organized a welcoming ceremony the same day for the first international visitors of 2026 at Tan Son Nhat airport.
The event featured a space highlighting traditional culture, with characteristic displays and hands-on activities such as tea tasting, calligraphy, clay figurine making, and souvenir photography.
Passengers were welcomed with flowers and gifts.
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Foreign tourists arrive at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC, Jan. 1, 2026. Photo courtesy of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism |
Ho Chi Minh City has set the targets of welcoming 61 million visitors in 2026, including 11 million international arrivals, and earning VND330 trillion ($12.5 billion) in revenue.
Last year, it received 8.56 million foreign arrivals.
At Da Nang International Airport, the first flight of 2026 arrived from Hanoi carrying 170 passengers. This was followed by a series of international flights from Manila, Incheon and Busan, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, bringing more than 1,200 tourists.
Da Nang targets 19.1 million tourists this year, including 8.7 million foreign arrivals.
In Quang Ninh Province, home to UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay, the Celebrity Solstice cruise ship carrying more than 3,000 international tourists from the U.S., Canada, and Australia docked at Ha Long International Cruise Port on the first day of the New Year.
Vietnam’s tourism industry has set a target of welcoming 25 million foreign tourists this year, a 16% increase compared to last year’s record-breaking figure of 21.5 million.
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