If the current pace continues, the number of Russians arriving in Vietnam this year will result in a record-high, according to a news article by VnExpress. To be clear, Russia is already a very fast-growing market of tourists for Vietnam which has a booming tourism industry.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news article of VnExpress. Some parts in boldface…
The number of Russian visitors to Vietnam is forecast to reach a historic record of 1.5 million this year, a senior official has said.
Russian news website news.ru quoted Nikita Kondratiev, Director of the Department for Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects under Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development, as saying that even during the pre-pandemic peak in 2018-2019, Russian arrivals to Vietnam stood at only around 700,000-800,000.
The figures show impressive growth in the tourism sector, he noted.
According to the official, key factors behind Vietnam’s growing appeal include the maintenance and expansion of direct air routes, as well as convenient payment options for Russian tourists through QR codes and MIR bank cards at some locations in Vietnam.
The strong interest from the Russian market is fully reflected in recently released statistics.
On Sept. 4, Travel Russian News cited figures from the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism showing that Russian arrivals to Vietnam surpassed 1 million in the first eight months of 2026, representing a 165.7% increase year-on-year. This was the highest growth rate among Vietnam’s major international tourist markets.
With this result, Russia jumped from around seventh place in 2025 to become Vietnam’s third largest source market, behind China with 3.54 million visitors and South Korea 2.76 million.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Apart from what was reported, what do you think makes Vietnam such a very attractive place for Russians? Do you think other Southeast Asian nations are discreetly making plans of their own to attract Russian tourists away from Vietnam?
You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.
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