Vietnam surpasses Singapore in Q1 foreign arrivals

By Hoang Phong April 22, 2025 | 11:00 pm PT

Visitors pose for photos at a rooftop observatory in Singapore, July 26, 2022. Photo by Reuters

Singapore recorded 4.31 million visitor arrivals in the first quarter of 2025, on par with the same period last year while Vietnam welcomed nearly six million during the period.

In the first quarter, China remained the largest source of visitors to Singapore with 831,470, a 5.8% increase year-on-year.

It was followed by Indonesia and Malaysia.

Industry insiders attributed the growth to the mutual visa exemption agreement between Singapore and China, as well as the Chinese New Year holidays and the winter break for public schools in January, Xinhua News Ageny reported.

In 2024, Singapore received 16.5 million foreign arrivals, marking a 21% increase and the highest number since the Covid pandemic.

Vietnam received 1.6 million Chinese visitors in the first quarter, making China its largest inbound market, followed by South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Cambodia, India, the U.S., and Australia.