Vietnam’s travel, tourism and leisure sector

Vietnam has two major international entry and exit points those being Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Both Airports have recently increased capacity with Ho Chi Minh City boasting a capacity of 25 million and Hanoi 15 million pax per year. Hanoi has close to 400 international/regional flights per week whilst HCMC is closer to 600.

Danang on Vietnam’s central coast is the third largest airport with a capacity of 6 million pax per year but is also under expansion partly because of flight demand but also because Danang will host the ASEAN meeting in 2017. Danang currently has 127 weekly regional flights. Nha Trang (Cam Ranh) and Phu Quoc have charter flights from various Russian cities and Phu Quoc.

Hanoi has a stock of just over 7,000 4 and 5 star hotel rooms and received approx. 3 million foreign visitors a year, Ho Chi Minh City now has close to 10,000 4 and 5 star rooms and in 2015 received 4.6 million foreign visitors. Danang has over 9,000 high end hotel rooms and this number is forecast to grow to 17,000 in the next 2-3 years. However, the city only has 1 million foreign visitors a year, with 3.6 million domestic visitors. Nha Trang /Cam Ranh have over 5,000 4 and 5 star hotel rooms and approx. 850,000 foreign visitor arrivals with a large percentage being from China and Russia.

Phu Quoc Vietnam’s largest island in the South close to the border with Cambodia has a developed international standard airport and is the only place in Vietnam that has a true visa on arrival system in place. However, there are no regular scheduled international flights at this point in time.

So Vietnam has the capacity to host many more international visitors than it currently does and needs to promote its heritage sites, its history, its food and its culture; all of which have huge potential and continue the policy of visa facilitation.