Bloomberg: Vietnam outperforms Southeast Asia in tourism growth

Recently, Bloomberg news agency published an article analyzing and explaining the factors that have made Vietnam the leading country in tourism growth rate in Southeast Asia.

Bloomberg said that the open visa policy, the expansion of direct flights and the development of luxury hotels are the main factors that have helped improve the position of Vietnam's tourism industry in recent times.

Accordingly, Thailand is often the center of attention when it comes to Southeast Asian tourism, especially after the film The White Lotus season 3 was filmed in this country. The film has increased tourists' interest in destinations in Thailand.

However, Bloomberg also pointed out that Vietnam's tourism is growing faster. Vietnam will welcome the third largest number of international visitors in Southeast Asia with 17.6 million international visitors by 2024, surpassing Singapore. And it is currently only behind Thailand - the country that welcomes the largest number of international visitors in the region with 35 million visitors and Malaysia - the second in the region with 25 million visitors.

This impressive number of international visitors has contributed to making Vietnam the leading country in the region in terms of tourism recovery speed compared to 2019 - the time before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vietnam has recovered 98% of its tourism activity, far surpassing all its neighbors, including Thailand and Singapore, according to Bloomberg. These two countries have only recovered about 87.5% and 86% of their tourism markets, respectively. On the recovery path, Vietnam welcomed nearly 4 million visitors in the first two months of 2025, up 30.2% from the same period last year.

Bloomberg analyzed that there are many factors to explain Vietnam's increasing attractiveness in the eyes of international tourists.

First of all, it is about market access when increasing the expansion of direct flights. The first direct flight between the United States and Vietnam, launched by Vietnam Airlines since 2021, has connected tourists from San Francisco directly to Ho Chi Minh City.

In addition, the e-visa policy issued in 2023 has helped simplify the entry process for tourists. Visitors are allowed to stay up to 90 days (three times the previous period). In addition, Vietnam also exempts visas for many countries such as: France, Germany, Japan, Russia, South Korea...

Another factor driving Vietnam’s tourism growth is the influx of leading hotel brands, according to Bloomberg. New hotels that have recently opened include Regent Phu Quoc, Capella Hanoi and JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon. Other properties from Luxury Collection, Ritz-Carlton Reserve and Park Hyatt are also under construction.

In addition, the expansion of the Michelin Guide list in 2024 has widely introduced the unique features of Vietnamese cuisine to international friends.

All of the above makes Vietnam's image increasingly attractive to luxury travelers, or those looking for a place that is not as crowded as in Japan and Singapore to experience.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/bloomberg-viet-nam-vuot-troi-ve-toc-do-tang-truong-du-lich-o-dong-nam-a-post868093.html