By 2025, Vietnam's tourism industry aims to welcome 25 million international visitors. This is a number that can turn the "S-shaped country" into an unmissable destination for tourists; but it is also a challenging target, requiring synchronous coordination from policy, infrastructure, human resources to products and promotion to affirm the position of tourism as the country's spearhead economic sector.
Strategic vision and target pressure
In the context of world tourism recovering strongly after the pandemic, Vietnam also set a big milestone for 2025, striving to welcome 25 million international visitors. This is a step demonstrating political determination, as well as the ambition to affirm the position of Vietnamese tourism on the global map.
According to a report by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), in August 2025, the number of international visitors to Vietnam increased by 7.8% compared to the previous month, although this was a low season. In the first 8 months of the year, the country welcomed nearly 14 million international visitors, of which key markets such as China, Japan, and India all grew steadily. In addition, the rearrangement of administrative units after July 1 is also expected to create momentum for socio-economic development, including tourism, but at the same time requires a suitable strategy to take advantage of opportunities.
Mr. Ho An Phong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that to achieve the target of 25 million international visitors, the tourism business community needs to innovate, flexibly adapt to market fluctuations and promote the role of industry associations. In addition to diversifying products, Mr. Phong emphasized the development of specialized experience packages based on the strengths of local culture, cuisine and nature.
In addition, digital technology needs to be fully exploited in promotion and sales to connect directly with global customers. At the same time, synchronous coordination between management agencies, businesses, and associations in promoting key markets such as Northeast Asia, Europe, and North America is a decisive factor.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, emphasized: “To achieve the target of 25 million international visitors, the tourism industry must synchronously deploy many solutions. First of all, it is necessary to develop unique products, strengthen the connection between businesses and businesses, localities and businesses, and multi-industry connections based on digital platforms. At the same time, it is necessary to step up promotion and advertising for each market and perfect the support policy mechanism.”
In the structure of international visitors, Northeast Asia and ASEAN continue to play the role of key source markets, thanks to the advantages of close distance, high travel frequency and reasonable costs. This is a "pedestal" for short-term growth, but in the long term, Vietnam needs to expand to distant but high-spending markets such as the US, Australia and New Zealand.
From a business perspective, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hai Nam, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Global International Travel Joint Stock Company, proposed to strongly exploit the advantages of land border gates in Quang Ninh, Lao Cai, Cao Bang, Lang Son to develop tourism using passports or caravans. In addition, cruise tourism and charter flights from China are also expected to bring in high-quality customers.
Ms. Hai Nam also emphasized the experience factor: “In addition to focusing on attracting visitors, the tourism industry needs to improve the quality of experiences. Improving services at destinations, building a safe and friendly image, shortening airport procedures, travel time and upgrading infrastructure are things that need to be done immediately. In particular, localities should develop specific products such as shopping tours, night economy or community cultural tourism to promote spending and extend the length of stay.”
Solutions from human resources to connecting infrastructure
In addition to products and markets, human resources are also the key to success. Dr. Hoang Ngoc Hien, Head of the Department of Restaurant Management and Food Services, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade, said: "Vietnam's tourism human resources are currently both abundant and lacking. There are many unskilled workers but a lack of internationally qualified staff. Improving the quality of human resources is not only about foreign languages and expertise, but also about having an integrated mindset and being ready to work in a multicultural environment."
Accordingly, Mr. Hien proposed that schools should increase cooperation with businesses, hotels, and 5-star restaurants so that students have a practical training environment, avoiding the situation of having to retrain after finishing school.
From a business perspective, Mr. Vo Viet Hoa, Director of Saigontourist inbound division, proposed a long-term promotion strategy, opening promotion offices in key markets, expanding visa exemption, and developing high-end products.
“For service industries, it is necessary to increase the number of flights, shorten entry procedures, exempt visas for Indian visitors, and increase promotion in the US, Australia, and New Zealand. More importantly, it is necessary to connect businesses in the tourism value chain, avoiding fragmentation and disunity, which are inherent weaknesses,” Mr. Hoa emphasized.
Aviation representatives also said that it is necessary to quickly remove infrastructure bottlenecks, increase international flight slots, reduce transportation costs and improve visa policies. In addition, it is necessary to promote destinations regularly and in depth instead of focusing on just a few major events.
Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, commented: “The target of 25 million visitors is difficult but not impossible. With the synchronization of policies, infrastructure, human resources and market promotion, Vietnam has the opportunity to make a breakthrough and affirm its position as the leading attractive destination in Asia.”
In general, the target of 25 million international visitors is a big problem, requiring comprehensive preparation. If we take advantage of opportunities from local restructuring, infrastructure investment, human resource development and unique product development, Vietnam will not only achieve the immediate target but also build a solid foundation for tourism to truly become a key economic sector after 2025.
Lesson 2: Enhancing green and smart tourism
Source: https://baotintuc.vn/du-lich/du-lich-viet-nam-voi-cac-muc-tieu-khang-dinh-vi-the-bai-1-dinh-vi-lai-suc-hut-diem-den-chau-a-20250916104119796.htm
![[Photo] Binh Trieu 1 Bridge has been completed, raised by 1.1m, and will open to traffic at the end of November.](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/10/2/a6549e2a3b5848a1ba76a1ded6141fae)
![[Photo] Binh Trieu 1 Bridge has been completed, raised by 1.1m, and will open to traffic at the end of November.](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/402x226/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2025/10/2/a6549e2a3b5848a1ba76a1ded6141fae)
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