Hanoi cements status as leading global tourism destination

THE HANOI TIMES — Hanoi continues to affirm its position as a leading tourism destination in the region and worldwide in 2025, with a series of honors from reputable international platforms, along with strong growth in visitor numbers, revenue and service quality.

In the year, the capital has received two titles at the World Travel Awards Asia and Oceania, namely Asia’s Leading City Destination and Asia’s Leading City Break Destination.

Hanoi also ranked second in the Top 25 Cultural Destinations Worldwide, seventh in the Top 25 Destinations Globally and 14th in the Top 25 Most Loved Destinations of All Time, as voted by Tripadvisor to mark its 25th anniversary.

Time Out also named Hanoi the number one cultural and arts city in Asia and ninth worldwide in 2025.

Most recently, digital travel platform Agoda ranked Hanoi first among seven Asian cities best explored on foot.

These awards have generated strong global media attention, placing Hanoi on the must-visit lists of leading international travel magazines such as Condé Nast Traveler and Lonely Planet.

Alongside international recognition, the capital’s tourism sector has maintained robust growth. By the end of 2025, Hanoi is estimated to have welcomed more than 33.7 million visitors, up 20.87% year-on-year, including 7.8 million international arrivals, an year-on-year increase of 22.76%.

Total tourism revenue was estimated at more than VND134.46 trillion (US$5.1 billion), an increase of 21.5% compared with 2024.

Meanwhile, accommodation and tourism services continued to expand in both scale and quality. Average hotel occupancy reached 65.5%, up 3.5 percentage points from 2024.

The city currently has 3,761 accommodation facilities with more than 71,200 rooms, including 65 hotels and serviced apartment complexes rated from one to five stars.

Regarding services, there are 58 certified tourism service providers, covering dining, shopping, entertainment and wellness, helping enhance visitor experiences.

In addition, travel services and the tour guide workforce have continued to grow in both number and professionalism.

As of early December 2025, Hanoi had 1,932 international travel companies, 520 domestic travel companies and nearly 9,800 licensed tour guides.

In 2025, the Hanoi Department of Tourism implemented a series of key plans, programs and decisions to boost tourism growth, refine destination management models, roll out tourism system planning and stimulate market demand.

Promotion and communication activities were renewed both domestically and internationally through television programs, social media, bilingual publications, signage systems and destination digitization using 3D mapping technology.

Hanoi organized and took part in major events, such as the Hanoi Tourism Festival, the Tourism Gift Festival, the Autumn Festival, the Ao Dai Festival, VITM Hanoi, ITE Ho Chi Minh City, ITB India, IFTM Top Resa in France, World Expo 2025 in Japan and the Global Summit on City Tourism in South Korea.

The launch of a direct Hanoi - Milan air route from July 2025 is expected to significantly expand the European market.

At the same time, Hanoi has focused on developing distinctive and new tourism products, with a range of cultural tours, night tourism, rural and agricultural tourism, community-based tourism and river and railway tourism programs.

Notable offerings include the South Thang Long heritage route, the Tran Vu bell tour, the Tuong Phieu flower experience, Red River tourism and the Hanoi five gates train, also known as the Hanoi Train.

To serve the development, the city has poured significant investment in human resource training and digital transformation, through training courses and knowledge updates for tour guides, local tourism communities and management staff.

As a result, the digitization of destination data, service facilities, e-ticketing systems, digital tourism maps and the application of artificial intelligence in management have gradually improved operational efficiency and visitor experiences.

Hanoi has set targets for 2026, with more than 35.8 million visitors, including over 8.6 million international arrivals, and total tourism revenue exceeding VND160 trillion ($6.1 billion).

The city aims to strengthen its global position by promoting a safe, friendly and high-quality tourism image, with an emphasis on premium services and longer stays.