During the five-day holiday celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30 to May 4), Vietnam's tourism industry witnessed impressive growth, serving an estimated 10.5 million visitors, a significant increase of 31.2% over the same period last year.
In particular, Ho Chi Minh City, the center of the series of events celebrating this historic milestone with the spirit of "Proud of 50 years - Radiant city named after Uncle Ho," has become an extremely attractive destination, recording double the number of tourists compared to 2024. It is the strong spread of national pride and unique experiences during the national festival that helped the city named after Uncle Ho welcome up to 1.95 million visitors, bringing in double the revenue compared to the previous year and for the first time achieving an impressive room occupancy rate of 95%.
Ho Chi Minh City is brilliant with flags and flowers with the participation of many tourists from all over the country visiting on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South.
According to statistics from the National Tourism Administration, this five-day holiday is not only a testament to the appeal of the celebrations but also marks an important milestone for the entire tourism industry, recording the highest number of tourists since the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number exceeding 10.5 million, an increase of more than 31% over the same period in 2024. Most key tourist localities across the country have recorded positive signs with the number of visitors growing strongly compared to the previous year.
Many gratitude and "return to the source" activities in Ho Chi Minh City attract a large number of tourists
Besides Ho Chi Minh City, many other provinces and cities also showed strong recovery and development of the tourism industry. Thanh Hoa is estimated to welcome 1.6 million visitors, up 5.3%; Quang Ninh attracted 1.135 million visitors, up 12%; Khanh Hoa welcomed 1.005 million visitors, up 3.63%; Hanoi also recorded 875,200 visitors, up 18.64%; Ba Ria - Vung Tau welcomed 785,495 visitors, up 28.24%; Ninh Binh attracted over 700,000 visitors, up 48.9%; and Da Nang is not far behind with over 610,000 visitors, up more than 50% over the same period in 2024.
Many other provinces and localities also have many activities to attract tourists to visit during this long holiday.
Before and during the holiday, historical and cultural sites such as Ba Dinh Square, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Vietnam Military Museum (Hanoi), Tan Trao ATK (Tuyen Quang), Dien Bien Phu battlefield (Dien Bien), Quang Tri Citadel (Quang Tri), Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum, Cu Chi Tunnels (HCMC) and especially HCMC with a series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of national reunification have attracted a large number of domestic and international tourists.
"Back to the source" tours at other locations also attract many tourists.
In preparation for the peak summer tourism season of 2025, many localities and businesses have proactively implemented tourism stimulus programs before the holidays. Incentive programs, discounts, and product and service promotions have also been launched, such as the program "Quang Nam - Green Heritage Land," "Hanoi people and tourists experience services at 4-5 star hotels in Hanoi," "Enjoy Da Nang - Multi-experience," deeply discounted tour packages of Flamingo Redtours, and the program of discounting tickets and giving away entrance tickets to Sun World Ba Na Hills for tourists wearing red flag shirts with yellow stars.
The railway sector has also increased the number of trains to famous tourist destinations, with Vietnam Railways Corporation organizing the "Reunification Train" as a symbol of national pride. Inland ports have also increased the number of trains to tourist islands such as Cu Lao Cham, Ly Son, Con Dao, Phu Quy, and Phu Quoc. Notably, Quang Ninh welcomed a group of nearly 1,700 Japanese tourists to Ha Long by super yacht, demonstrating the strong recovery of international tourism.
Railway industry with many new strategies during this holiday
The leaders of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism have emphasized the careful preparation of localities and businesses in ensuring security, safety, and food hygiene and safety for tourists. The long holiday season along with the diversity of programs, events, and festivals has created conditions for tourists to stay longer and spend more, contributing to increasing revenue for the tourism industry compared to the same period in 2024.
Notably, the number of international visitors still maintained a positive growth momentum. Prices of tourism services were kept stable, and security and order, environmental sanitation at destinations were ensured. The initiative in organizing large-scale cultural, festival and sports events, along with the support of businesses, has created new tourism products, stimulating the demand for entertainment and relaxation during the holidays and promising a vibrant summer tourism season in 2025.
