Central Vietnam’s tourism recovery is visible at both national and provincial levels. Vietnam recorded more than 17.5 million international visitor arrivals in 2024, while Da Nang, Quang Nam, Hue, Binh Dinh, Quang Ngai, Khanh Hoa, and Binh Thuan reported substantial visitor flows, revenue, or forward targets. The figures below retain each source’s measurement period and distinguish completed results from estimates, plans, and forecasts.
Contents
- National demand and recovery
- Da Nang: the central coast gateway
- Quang Nam and Hoi An
- Hue and heritage tourism
- Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai
- Khanh Hoa and Binh Thuan
National demand and recovery
Vietnam welcomed 12.6 million international visitor arrivals in 2023, 3.5 times the 2022 total, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism 2023 arrivals report. December contributed 1.37 million arrivals, the highest monthly total of that year.
The source-market mix was concentrated. Korea supplied nearly 3.6 million arrivals, or 28% of all international visitors. China supplied 1.7 million, making it the second-largest market. Together, Korea and China represented 42% of Vietnam’s international visitor arrivals in 2023.
The first half of 2023 produced nearly 5.6 million international arrivals, equal to 69% of the annual plan and 66% of the same period in 2019. Recovery accelerated in 2024: Vietnam received more than 8.8 million international arrivals from January through June, up 58.4% year on year and 4.1% above the comparable 2019 period. The first quarter alone exceeded 4.6 million, up 72% year on year and 3.2% above the first quarter of 2019. March 2024 contributed nearly 1.6 million arrivals.
For the full year, Vietnam received more than 17.5 million international visitor arrivals in 2024, a 39.5% increase over 2023. These national figures provide context for the strong results reported by central-coast destinations, but they should not be treated as counts for Central Vietnam itself.
Da Nang: the central coast gateway
Da Nang’s first quarter of 2023 included 1.4 million visitors served by accommodation establishments, more than 4.6 times the same period in 2022. The total included 391,600 international visitors, 62 times the first-quarter 2022 figure, and more than 1.03 million domestic visitors, 3.4 times the prior-year level.
Tourism-related accommodation, catering, and travel revenue reached VND 5,897 billion in the quarter, 1.9 times the year-earlier amount. Travel revenue alone exceeded VND 691.4 billion, 6.3 times higher year on year and 29% above the first quarter of 2019. Da Nang also welcomed 9 cruise ships carrying 7,300 guests.
Air access was substantial. In Q1 2023, the city had 16 regular international routes operated by 20 airlines. Those routes handled more than 280 flights per week, or an average of 40 flights per day, and brought more than 560,000 international tourists to Da Nang.
Tet 2024 showed another concentrated demand spike. Da Nang welcomed 402,000 visitors during the holiday, up 37% from the comparable 2023 period, including nearly 177,000 foreign visitors. Tourism-industry earnings were estimated at VND 1,580 billion. The seven-day holiday included 777 domestic and international flights, averaging 111 per day: 58 domestic and 53 international flights per day on average. Three cruise ships added 3,400 international guests, while Han River sightseeing boat tours rose 50% to 21,680 trips.
The first seven months of 2024 brought more than 2.4 million international visitors to Da Nang, up more than 34% year on year. That result reached 96% of the city’s full-year international visitor estimate. Japanese visitors numbered 83,948, representing 3.5% of international arrivals.
| Da Nang indicator | Period | Reported figure |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors served by accommodation establishments | Q1 2023 | 1.4 million |
| International visitors | Q1 2023 | 391,600 |
| Travel revenue | Q1 2023 | More than VND 691.4 billion |
| International visitors | Jan–Jul 2024 | More than 2.4 million |
| Visitors during Tet | Tet 2024 | 402,000 |
Quang Nam and Hoi An
Quang Nam welcomed more than 7.5 million visitors in 2023, compared with about 7.8 million in 2019. The province’s tourism revenue was estimated at VND 7,950 billion, while social income from tourism reached about VND 18,683 billion. Hoi An accounted for about 3 million international visitors in 2023, below the 4 million recorded in 2019.
The province recorded more than 5.9 million visitor arrivals staying and sightseeing during the first eight months of 2023. In the first four months, international visitors exceeded 1 million. Quang Nam’s 10 largest international source markets in 2023 were South Korea, China, Australia, England, Malaysia, the United States, France, Germany, Thailand, and India.
Quang Nam’s 2024 plan targeted 7.6 million visitors: 3.9 million international and 3.7 million domestic. Its tourism-revenue target was VND 8.5 trillion. These are targets from the Quang Nam 2023 tourism highlights, not completed 2024 results.
Hue and heritage tourism
Thua Thien Hue accommodation establishments served 1,766 thousand visitors in 2023, up 34.9% from 2022. Accommodation-establishment revenue reached VND 1,430.6 billion, an increase of 49.7% year on year, according to the Thua Thien Hue Statistical Yearbook 2024.
The Tet 2024 period lasted nine days in the reported Hue tourism figures. Historical sites and tourist attractions drew about 100,000 visitors, up 17.64% from 2023. The total included 55,000 staying tourists: over 31,000 international and 24,000 domestic visitors. Estimated accommodation occupancy was 62.4%, and estimated accommodation revenue was VND 115 billion.
The Hue Monuments Conservation Center recorded between 65,000 and 68,000 visitors in the first three days of Tet 2024, including about 12,000 international visitors.
Across 2024, Hue heritage attractions received 2.77 million visitors, more than 19.14% above 2023. International visitors exceeded 1.26 million, while domestic visitors exceeded 1.51 million. Heritage ticket-sales revenue exceeded VND 422 billion, up more than 18.6% and described in the Hue heritage 2024 report as the highest ever.
Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai
Binh Dinh’s 2023 tourism development plan set a target of 5,000,000 visitors and VND 16,400 billion in revenue. Its quarterly targets were 1,343,000 tourists and VND 2,720 billion in Q1, 1,554,000 tourists and VND 5,190 billion in Q2, and 1,510,000 tourists and VND 6,820 billion in Q3. The international-visitor targets were 3,590, 21,700, and 34,470 respectively.
A separate Binh Dinh tourism conference report also stated a 2023 target of 5 million visitors and VND 16,000 billion in revenue. It reported that the sector ultimately welcomed more than 5 million visitors, up 21.4% from 2022, with estimated revenue of VND 16,400 billion, up 25%. The province’s 2024 target was 6 million visitors, including 150,000 to 200,000 international visitors.
In the first six months of 2023, Binh Dinh welcomed around 2.7 million arrivals, more than 20% above the same period in 2022. Tourism receipts for that period were estimated at VND 7,600 billion. Because the quarterly figures are plans and the later figures are reported outcomes, they should not be combined as one series.
Quang Ngai accommodation establishments served 1,065.0 thousand visitors in 2023, up 63.85% year on year. Overnight visitors reached 897.22 thousand, up 62.60%, while day visitors reached 167.78 thousand, up 70.83%. Travel establishments served 18.01 thousand visitors, up 109.53%, and travel-service turnover reached VND 31.49 billion, up 122.88% from 2022.
The Quang Ngai Statistical Yearbook 2024 reported 1,449.0 thousand visitors served by accommodation establishments in 2024. It attributed support for the 2024 figures to major culture-and-tourism events that attracted many visitors, without providing a quantified event-by-event breakdown.
Khanh Hoa and Binh Thuan
Khanh Hoa aimed to welcome more than 4 million tourists in 2023. A provincial tourism report expected 1.5 million international visitors, including 900,000 Korean visitors. In July 2023, the same report estimated about 130,000 Korean visitors for that month. These figures are expectations or estimates, rather than a completed annual count.
Binh Thuan estimated 220,000 visitors during the April 30–May 1, 2023 holiday, described as about 25% above the comparable period in 2023. Holiday room occupancy was forecast at 75% to 95%, and holiday tourism revenue was estimated at VND 420 billion. Since the room figure is a forecast and the visitor and revenue figures are estimates, they should be read as planning-period indicators.
The Binh Thuan 2025 tourism update reported about 4.5 million visitors in the first five months of 2025. This later measurement is not directly comparable with the 2023 holiday estimate because it covers a different period and a different reporting basis.
Finally, a Vietnam tourism Tet 2024 report estimated 177,000 visitors for Da Nang and 97,000 for Quang Nam during the holiday. Together, those estimates illustrate how holiday demand concentrated in two major central-coast provinces, while remaining separate from the completed visitor totals reported for other periods.