Vietnam's 10-month international arrivals up 22%, still behind Thailand

By Hoang Vu November 6, 2025 | 12:04 am PT

Foreign tourists at Hanoi's Old Quarter. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Giang

Vietnam received 17.2 million foreign tourists in the first 10 months of this year, up 22% from the previous year but still far behind Thailand's 26.8-million figure.

Mainland China remained the top source market between January and October, with 4.3 million arrivals, a 43% year-on-year increase, followed by South Korea (3.59 million), Taiwan (1.03 million), the U.S. (684,000), and Japan (678,000), according to the General Statistics Office.

The rest of the top 10 were India (574,000), Cambodia (549,000), Russia (501,000), Malaysia (454,000) and Australia (447,000).

In October alone, Vietnam attracted 1.73 million tourists, up 14% from the previous months.

Between October and April is the peak travel season of Western tourists seeking a winter escape.

Tourism experts attributed Vietnam's strong performance to favorable visa policies, expanded promotional campaigns, and a series of events held to celebrate major national holidays.

Vietnam targets 23-25 million foreign tourists by the end of this year.

Thailand welcomed nearly 27 million foreign tourists from Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, a decrease of over 7% compared to the same period last year.