Welcoming new waves of international tourists to Vietnam

The first Iranian tourists arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on March 19, 2025. Photo: Tue An

Welcome the “new” guests

On the evening of March 19, more than 200 Iranian tourists, for the first time in a group of 400 people on VIP charter flights from Iran, landed at Tan Son Nhat airport, starting to visit many tourist destinations in Vietnam both in the South and the North on a 10-day, 9-night journey.

According to the representative of the Organizing Committee, the special thing is that the Iranian delegation came to Vietnam on the occasion of Nowruz (Iranian traditional New Year), affirming the strong attraction of Vietnamese tourism to the Middle Eastern market.

“More than 400 tourists will visit and experience outstanding heritages from the South to the North, typically: Cu Chi Tunnels, Ben Thanh Market, War Remnants Museum, Central Post Office... in Ho Chi Minh City; Ba Na Hills, Hoi An Ancient Town... in Quang Nam - Da Nang; One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature - Quoc Tu Giam, Hoan Kiem Lake... in Hanoi", said a representative of the Organizing Committee.

The first Russian tourists return to Khanh Hoa after 3 years of absence. Photo: Phuong Lan

Previously, on the afternoon of March 17, more than 200 Russian tourists returned to Khanh Hoa province for the first time in the past 3 years on an Azu Air flight, departing from Irkutsk International Airport, Russia the same morning and landing at Cam Ranh Airport, Khanh Hoa at 2:25 p.m., opening the way for hundreds of direct flights bringing visitors to Khanh Hoa in the following months.

Azur Air is expected to operate charter flights from 11 Russian cities (Moscow, Ekaterinburg, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Barnaul, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Tomsk, Novokuznetsk, Blagoveshchensk) to Khanh Hoa in the coming time. The airline will cooperate with Anex Vietnam Trading and Tourism Company Limited to operate 12 flights in March and increase to 50-55 flights/month from April to June; 90-100 flights/month from July onwards.

Notably, Russian national airline Aeroflot also opened a commercial flight route from Moscow to Khanh Hoa with a frequency of 2 flights/week from March 22. With the convenience of increased flight routes, tourism in the land of Agarwood is expecting the Russian tourist market to have a sudden growth in the near future.

Russian tourists are a traditional source of visitors for Khanh Hoa province's tourism industry. Photo: Phuong Lan.

Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Department of Tourism Cung Quynh Anh said: Russia is a traditional international tourist market of Vietnam tourism, in which Khanh Hoa is the most favorite destination of Russian tourists. In 2019, Khanh Hoa welcomed about 463,000 Russian tourists, accounting for 71.6% of the total number of Russian tourists to Vietnam (646,524 tourists). After a 3-year hiatus, the return of Russian tourists is a good sign for Khanh Hoa tourism in particular and Vietnam in general.

Excited and hopeful

Talking about the increasing number of Russian tourists returning to Khanh Hoa, Mr. Le Dung Lam, Director of Yang Bay Tourist Park - Khanh Viet Corporation said that the unit has made basic preparations to welcome Russian tourists.

“About 30% of Russian tourists to Khanh Hoa often visit Yang Bay on their journey. We have upgraded the natural hot mineral bath area - Yang Bay's unique strength - and enhanced the landscape of flowers and nature (which Russian tourists really like) to welcome this new wave,” Mr. Lam shared.

Yang Bay Tourist Park has natural landscapes and unique hot mineral springs. Photo: Lam Vien.

In addition to Khanh Hoa, Russian tourists also love Phan Thiet city, Binh Thuan province, where they can freely sunbathe and kite surf. With the characteristic of “staying long, going deep”, Russian tourists often come to Vietnam for a 7 to 10-day trip, traveling along the central coast to relax.

Mr. Luu Nhat Tuan, representative of a chain of restaurants and resorts in Phan Thiet city, said: "We have been ready for a long time to not only welcome Russian guests but also guests from many other countries."

That is also what the Binh Thuan provincial government is implementing. On March 19, the Binh Thuan provincial People's Committee organized a trade program with a delegation of Korean tourism businesses to learn about and coordinate to bring Korean tourists to the locality. The two sides also organized a tourism seminar "Meeting and connecting trade between Binh Thuan - Korean tourism businesses". 21 Korean travel and tourism businesses and Vietnamese partners discussed increasing the number of Korean tourists to Binh Thuan in particular and Vietnam in general.

A Famtrip delegation of 21 Korean tourism businesses is on a working trip to increase connection opportunities to bring Korean tourists to Binh Thuan province. Photo: My Hanh

“Korea is in the top 3 international tourism markets bringing tourists to Binh Thuan province. We are committed to continuing to coordinate to bring more tourists from the land of kimchi to experience the blue sea, white sand, and golden sunshine of Binh Thuan in the coming time and are committed to bringing tourists the most interesting experiences,” said Mr. Bui The Nhan, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Binh Thuan province.

Returning to the Iranian delegation that just arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on the evening of March 19, a representative of the city's Department of Tourism emphasized: "This is an important milestone in the city's efforts to promote international tourism in particular and Vietnam in general. Expanding the international tourist market, especially from the Middle East, not only contributes to diversifying the source of visitors but also creates conditions for developing high-end tourism, improving service quality and increasing the attractiveness of Vietnam on the world tourism map."

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/don-nhung-lan-song-du-khach-quoc-te-moi-den-viet-nam-696329.html