Vietnam tops Southeast Asia in increase in foreign tourist numbers

By Hoang Phong February 3, 2026 | 06:42 pm PT

Foreign tourists on Phu Quoc Island in southern Vietnam, December 2025. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen

Vietnam recorded the highest growth rate in international tourist arrivals in Southeast Asia of 20.4% last year, according to data from the ASEAN Secretariat.

The rate was well ahead of those logged by other major tourist countries Malaysia (up 11.2%), Indonesia (10.4%) and Singapore (2.7%), while long-time star Thailand actually saw numbers decline by 7.2%.

Cambodia's arrival numbers declined by 16.9.

Speaking at the 63rd ASEAN National Tourism Agencies Meeting held in the Philippines on Jan. 26, Nguyen Trung Khanh, director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, said 2025 marked a year of strong recovery and consolidation for the tourism industry, with Vietnam receiving record number of international visitors.

He attributed the strong performance largely to visa reforms and extensive tourism campaigns.

Vietnam received 21.2 million foreign visitors in 2025 and targets 25 million this year.