The government on Oct.12 allowed Chinese nationals traveling in groups of two or more to visit Khanh Hoa Province, home to beach city Nha Trang, visa-free under a scheme lasting until Dec. 31, 2027, if they fly directly to Cam Ranh International Airport.
Martin Koerner, commercial director of The Anam Group, which operates luxury resorts including one in Cam Ranh, described the move as “a positive step towards improving Vietnam’s competitiveness in one of Asia’s most important outbound tourism markets.”
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Tourists crowd a beach in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa. Photo by Xuan Ngoc |
Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Cambodia already have visa-free entry for Chinese tourists, and report positive results.
China is now the largest source of visitors for Thailand and Singapore, and Chinese arrivals to Malaysia last year increased by 25%.
China is also Vietnam’s largest international inbound market, with about 3.95 million arrivals in the first nine months of 2026, or 22.3% of all foreign visitors.
For Khanh Hoa, the new policy could pave the way for more charter flights and organized tours, particularly from Chinese cities with strong demand for beach holidays, Koerner said.
The resulting benefits could extend beyond hotels and resorts to restaurants, tourist attractions, transport operators, and other local businesses, he said.
The Anam Cam Ranh Resort has experienced encouraging growth from the Chinese market over the past three years, he said.
In 2025, Chinese guests generated 4,050 room nights, a 7.14% share.
Dr Justin Matthew Pang, senior program manager for tourism and hospitality management at RMIT University Vietnam, said the move by the Vietnamese government is bold and strategic.
“This promotion is a teaser to test what appeals to the Chinese tourist, especially in term of the mandatory tour package.”
Thai Thi Le Hang, director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said China used to be a major inbound market for the province before the Covid pandemic, but its recovery since then has lagged behind South Korea and Russia.
She said the pilot visa program would remove key procedural barriers, enabling travel agencies in both countries to develop and promote all-inclusive tour packages.
Its value lies not only in the number of visitors it attracts but also in its potential to test market connectivity, tour operations, service delivery, and cooperation between businesses, she added.
Industry insiders want the visa exemption to be extended to other localities if the Khanh Hoa attempt proves successful.
“Expanding similar arrangements to destinations such as Da Nang and Lam Dong (home to Da Lat) could strengthen Vietnam’s competitiveness in the leisure tourism market,” Koerner said.
Pang said: “Vietnam should not open the floodgates immediately. The case-study of Khanh Hoa must be thoroughly researched to ascertain the appeal factors, and limitations.”