Vietnam tourism infrastructure pulls ahead of Thailand: hotel executive

Bill Barnett, chief executive of Thailand's hotel and real estate consultancy C9 Hotelworks, said Vietnam has built strong momentum over the past decade, enabling it to attract rising numbers of visitors, particularly from China and Japan.

It received a record 21.2 million foreign arrivals in 2025, marking a 20.4% increase from the previous year.

Thailand saw a 7.2% decline to 32.9 million, the first annual decline outside the Covid period in a decade, Bloomberg reported.

Accommodation supply has become a key competitive advantage for Vietnam.

The country now has about 780,000 hotel rooms at 38,000 registered properties, exceeding Thailand's estimated 704,000 rooms, according to the Bangkok Post.

Vietnam also has a large number of hotels under development.

Pricing further strengthens Vietnam's position. Average room rates are around 20% lower than in Thailand, along with lower labor and food costs and the continued expansion of low-cost airlines, Barnett said.

In major Vietnamese cities, average daily room rates stand at US$116, compared with $129 in Bangkok.

Resort room rates average $118, well below the $173 typically seen in popular Thai destinations such as Phuket, according to C9 Hotelworks.

In the luxury segment, Vietnamese room rates are generally $45-$60 lower than in comparable Thai markets.

While Vietnam lacks Thailand's decades-long experience in tourism, Barnett said the pace of infrastructure development is the decisive factor.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City last year opened the T3 terminal, which can handle 20 million passengers annually and around 7,000 per hour.

Long Thanh International Airport, situated 40 kilometers from Tan Son Nhat, is expected to begin operations in mid-2026.

Phu Quoc International Airport on the popular resort island is undergoing a comprehensive upgrade aimed at positioning it among the most advanced and sophisticated in the region.