Having attracted almost twenty million foreign tourists during the first ten months this year, Vietnam is truly a major tourist destination among Southeast Asian nations. Along the way, they attracted more tourists from Japan during the January-October period reaching 757,000 which translates into an improvement of around 12%, according to a news report by VnExpress.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the news report of VnExpress. Some parts in boldface…
Factors like visa exemption, convenient flights, rich cuisine, low costs, and personal safety increased Japanese arrivals to Vietnam by nearly 12% in the first 10 months of the year to 757,000.
Data from the National Statistics Office of Vietnam shows Japan was Vietnam’s sixth largest inbound market. Pham Anh Vu, deputy general director of Du Lich Viet (Viet Tourism), explained the reason for this jump.
Since March 2026, visitors from 12 countries, including Japan, have been allowed to stay in Vietnam for up to 45 days without a visa regardless of passport type or travel purpose. The waiver will be valid through March 2028.
Direct flights between the two countries take just 4 to 5 hours. In addition to the long-established services from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Airlines has added five weekly trips from Da Nang, one to Osaka and four to Tokyo.
Budget carrier Vietjet Air has introduced a new Hanoi-Shizuoka service with four weekly flights to offer travelers even more options.
Surveys and tourism experts also highlight the strong appeal of Vietnam.
According to an August PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) survey, Japanese travelers strongly favor Vietnam for its food and affordable prices, with the former being the primary driver of their travel choices.
PATA also reported that Vietnam also attracts married Japanese travelers aged 40 and above.
Travel tech company Hofafy reported that Vietnam ranks among the top 3 choices for Japanese tourists seeking vibrant experiences, heritage, and history.
Fumi Matsumoto, chief representative of Japan National Tourism Organization in Vietnam, said the good connectivity makes the country ideal even for short trips.
Pham Hai Quynh, director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute, said however the sharp rise has been partly due to the low baseline in October 2025, when only 60,000 Japanese visitors came amid a weak yen and stiff competition from destinations like China.
This year, ongoing diplomatic tensions between China and Japan have caused many Japanese to choose Vietnam instead, he said.
He noted that lasting success depends on Vietnam’s own strengths, especially unique travel offerings and service quality, rather than temporary geopolitical shifts.
Meanwhile, outbound travel is recovering in Japan, with JTB, one of Japan’s largest travel agencies, forecasting that 16 million Japanese would travel abroad this year, 3% more than in 2025.
“From a female traveler’s perspective, one of Vietnam’s key attractions is that I feel quite safe and secure when traveling here.“
Japan represents a prized source market for Vietnam.
Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this development? Do you think it is possible for Vietnam to attract one million tourists from Japan by the end of this year? Do you think Vietnam will be able to lure in 25 million foreign tourists this year?
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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