Business News

HCMC handled more than 14 million passenger trips during the nine-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday from February 14 to 22, according to the city’s Department of Construction. Le Hai Phong, deputy head of the Road Transport Management Division under the Department of Construction, told a press briefing on February 26 that transport services met strong travel demand while traffic accidents declined and no serious incidents or prolonged congestion were reported.

HCMC generated an estimated VND12.15 trillion in tourism revenue during the 2026 Tet holiday, up 42.9% from the same period in 2025. This marked the highest tourism revenue ever recorded by the city during a Lunar New Year (Tet) break. During the nine-day holiday from February 14 to 22, the city welcomed about 4.32 million visitors, an increase of 35% year-on-year. International arrivals reached 170,000, up 51.7% compared with Tet 2025. 

Tourism revenue during the 2026 Lunar New Year holiday (Tet) has amounted to trillions of Vietnam dong in major tourist hotspots, with visitor numbers and earnings rising from a year earlier, according to data from provincial authorities. Data compiled by local departments showed continued recovery momentum, with gains in both international arrivals and short-stay travel demand.

Hanoi has been named one of the world’s top solo travel destinations for 2026 by Tripadvisor, ranking seventh in the category in its Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Destinations awards. The city also placed fourth in the “Top 25 Destinations in the World,” seventh in “Top 25 Cultural Destinations,” and 11th in “Top 25 Food Destinations,” according to Tripadvisor.

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.

Vietnam’s northern province of Ninh Binh aims to generate more than VND45 trillion in tourism revenue by 2030, as part of a broader plan to accelerate economic growth and upgrade its administrative status. Under a newly issued action plan by the provincial government, the province targets over 30 million tourist arrivals by the end of the decade. Tourism is expected to become a key growth driver within a shifting economic structure.

HCMC is positioning Can Gio as a new tourism growth hub as it seeks to expand its service-based economy and ease pressure on the congested city center, where development space is increasingly limited. The orientation was highlighted at a workshop titled “Developing Can Gio into a new tourism growth hub for HCMC,” held on January 29. The event brought together government agencies, research institutions, and tourism and infrastructure businesses.

According to Dang Huong Giang, director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the extended Tet holiday, combined with early and coordinated preparation of tourism activities and products, is expected to drive tourism growth. The focus, she said, is not only on attracting more visitors but also on improving the quality of growth by encouraging longer stays and higher spending.