Russian visitors to Vietnam hit 1 million in 8M, eye record high

Vietnam welcomed over 1 million Russian tourists in the first eight months of 2026, representing a remarkable 165.7 percent surge compared to the same period last year, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

The impressive rebound propelled Russia to third place among Vietnam’s top 10 source markets for international arrivals. This marks a major leap from 2025, when Russia ranked seventh among tourist feeder markets sending visitors to the Southeast Asian nation.

Given the current growth trajectory, total Russian tourist arrivals in Vietnam for the full year 2026 are projected to reach a historic record of 1.5 million, according to Russian news portal News.ru shared by Mr. Nikita Kondratiev, Director of the Department of Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects under the Russian Ministry of Economic Development.

Mr. Kondratiev noted that even during the pre-pandemic peak period in 2018–2019, annual Russian tourist flows to Vietnam remained at around 700,000 to 800,000 arrivals.

He attributed this strong resurgence to key factors, including the maintenance and expansion of direct flight routes, along with streamlined payment options via QR codes and MIR bank cards at select destinations across Vietnam.

Earlier in June, a report by the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) recorded that Russian arrivals to Vietnam exceeded 742,000 in the first half of the year, representing a 2.8-fold increase compared to the same period last year.

From a corporate perspective, Intourist, a leading Russian tour operator, reported that tour sales generated from Russian travelers to Vietnam grew tenfold last year, with expectations that the upward trend will accelerate further this year.

Ms. Elena Shelekhova, Head of OneTwoTrip, remarked that thanks to a wider variety of flights, consumer demand for Vietnam has expanded by 25 percent this year, securing a 3.5 percent market share.

Meanwhile, travel agency Russian Express highlighted a broader trend across Southeast Asia in general and Vietnam in particular: a notable increase in advance bookings. According to the agency, the advance booking window for trips to Vietnam has now extended to seven to eight months.