Easier visa rules, marketing bring in more international visitors than ever in January

By Hoang Vu February 6, 2026 | 12:29 am PT

Russian tourists celebrate the New Year at Bai Sau coastal park, Vung Tau Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, on the night of Dec. 31, 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Dang Khoa

Vietnam received 2.5 million foreign visitors in January, its highest monthly number ever, thanks to relaxed visa policies and increased tourism campaigns.

It represents an increase of more than 21% from the previous month, data released Tuesday by the General Statistics Office shows.

The composition of Vietnam’s top source markets changed during the month.

South Korea overtook mainland China to become the top market with nearly 490,000 visitors, and China was next with 460,000.

Cambodia emerged as the most notable mover with more than 223,000 arrivals to rise to third place overtaking Taiwan.

The rest of top 10 comprised Taiwan, Japan, the U.S, Australia, Russia, India, and Malaysia.

Industry insiders attribute the jump to ground-breaking visa policies, strong innovation in tourism promotion and marketing, greater product diversification, and improved service quality.

Vietnam recorded the highest growth in international tourist arrivals in Southeast Asia last year of 20.4%.

It received 21.2 million visitors and has set a target of 25 million for this year.