INTERNATIONAL ARRIVALS TO VIETNAM REACH NEW MONTHLY HIGH

Foreign tourists take a group selfie together in front of the Central Post Office in downtown HCMC - PHOTO: HOAI PHONG

HCMC – International arrivals to Vietnam hit a new monthly record in January 2026, rising 21.4% from the previous month and 18.5% year-on-year, according to the National Statistics Office.

Air travel continued to dominate, accounting for nearly 80% of all arrivals. Arrivals by land nearly doubled compared with the same period last year, while sea arrivals rose by about 30%, though they remained a small share.

Asian markets remained the main source, with around 1.8 million visitors, making up more than 73% of total international arrivals. South Korea ranked first with nearly 490,000 visitors, up about 26% month-on-month and over 17% year-on-year. China followed with nearly 460,000 arrivals, lower than a year earlier but still at a high level. Japan recorded strong growth, increasing 41% from the previous month and 16.9% year-on-year.

In Southeast Asia, several markets posted high growth, including the Philippines at 75%, Singapore at 51.7%, Indonesia at 41.4% and Thailand at 10.6%. Arrivals from Cambodia more than tripled from the previous month and more than doubled year-on-year.

India recorded nearly 88,000 arrivals, up 80.5% from a year earlier. European arrivals reached about 424,000, rising more than 35% month-on-month and nearly 60% year-on-year. Russia, the UK, France and Germany all saw double-digit growth, with arrivals from Russia up 195.1% and Poland up 98.7% year-on-year.

Arrivals from the U.S. totaled around 137,000, up 23% from the previous month and 14.2% year-on-year, with the U.S. contributing more than 103,000 visitors. Visitors from Australia and New Zealand exceeded 81,000, up 42% month-on-month and 13% year-on-year.

The expansion across key Asian, ASEAN, European and long-haul markets continued to shape the structure of international arrivals in early 2026.

Source: The Saigon Times