Can Vietnam hit 25-million foreign arrivals target?

Data from the General Statistics Office shows there were 14 million visitors in the first eight months, the highest in any month being just over two million.

Though the fourth quarter is traditionally the peak season for foreign arrivals, "this target is very big and very challenging," Pham Van Thuy, deputy director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said while speaking at a conference on Sept. 18.

Vu The Binh, chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA), concurred and said it required "strongest action" across the industry.

Thuy said many of the country's tourism products are 10–15 years old and no longer compelling.

"We have to change our approach; we have to sell what customers need, not what we have."

He urged airlines to add capacity on key routes and offer more competitive fares.

Vietnam grants visa exemptions to citizens of various countries, and the industry should capitalize on this advantage, he said.

In early August the government waived visas nationals of 12 additional countries, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland, for stays of up to 45 days.

This expanded the unilateral visa waiver list to 24 countries and the total number including bilateral waivers to 39.

Binh said VITA would intensify digital marketing in key and emerging source markets and organize familiarization trips to introduce products directly to major overseas tour operators to drive fourth-quarter bookings.

Pham Ha, CEO of luxury cruise operator Lux Group, said the industry should prioritize fast-growing, short-haul markets such as mainland China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, while also targeting longer-haul markets like Russia and Western and Northern Europe, particularly countries benefiting from Vietnam's unilateral visa exemptions.

He suggested following Thailand's example of offering incentives such as complimentary domestic round-trip tickets and shopping vouchers for foreign visitors.

While he conceded the 25-million goal is "extremely difficult," he remained upbeat: "It is completely possible; everything can have surprises."

In August Thailand's government planning agency cut its forecast for foreign tourist arrivals this year to 33 million from 37 million amid ongoing challenges.