At the World Travel Awards (WTA) Asia-Pacific ceremony held in Hong Kong, Vietnam's tourism industry not only won two important national titles but also consolidated its position as a "Rising Star" of the region.
With nearly 40 prestigious awards given to destinations, travel agencies and accommodation services, Vietnam has affirmed its quality and diversity on the global tourism map. WTA, established in 1993, is considered the “Oscar of the world tourism industry”, and consecutive victories here are a golden guarantee for the Vietnamese brand.
At the World Travel Awards (WTA) ceremony, Vietnamese tourism continued to affirm its position on the international map when it was named in the most prestigious categories.
In the national category, Vietnam has excelled in winning the two most important titles: "Asia's Leading Destination 2025" and "Asia's Leading Heritage Destination 2025". This is the 7th time Vietnam has received the "Asia's Leading Destination" award and the 3rd time winning the Asia's Leading Heritage category.
This double victory is considered a strong recognition by the international community for the continuous efforts in developing diverse tourism products, in parallel with preserving and promoting rich heritage values. This recognition comes in the context of Vietnam's tourism industry growing strongly, with welcoming 15.4 million international visitors in the first 9 months of 2025, an increase of 21.5% over the same period in 2024.
Along with two national awards, nearly 40 Vietnamese businesses and destinations were honored, affirming the uniformity of quality nationwide:
Hanoi continues to affirm its attractiveness with two awards: "Asia's Leading City Destination" and "Top Short-Term City Destination". Ho Chi Minh City was also honored as "Top Events and Festivals Destination" and "Top Business Destination", demonstrating the dynamism of the southern economic hub. In particular, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism also received the award "Asia's Leading Local Tourism Management Agency" thanks to effective initiatives in promoting and managing destinations.
The capital Hanoi continues to affirm its attractiveness with two awards "Asia's Leading City Destination" and "Top Short-Breakfast City Destination"
Other cities and provinces are not far behind, with Hoi An maintaining its appeal as the "Top Cultural City". Ninh Binh, with its majestic Trang An landscape, won the "Top Emerging Destination". Vung Tau was the favourite "Top Short Break Destination in a Coastal City".
Ninh Binh is honored to be honored in this award ceremony.
In particular, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park has made a historic double when for the first time a natural tourist area of Vietnam was honored in two of the most prestigious categories of natural tourism: "Vietnam's Leading Natural Destination 2025" and "Asia's Leading National Park". This victory is not only glorious but also the highest level of recognition for efforts to preserve and promote heritage values and towards sustainable tourism development.
Phong Nha - Ke Bang has surpassed many famous candidates from Japan, Thailand, Indonesia... to excellently win 2 top titles in Asia for natural tourism.
Mr. Pham Hong Thai, Director of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park Management Board, emphasized: "This award is not a destination, but a new beginning. We will continue to preserve and develop Phong Nha - Ke Bang in a sustainable direction." Experts assess that this "double" will create a strategic launching pad to help Phong Nha - Ke Bang transform from a famous adventure destination into a high-end tourist center, attracting high-quality visitors.
This is an opportunity to develop tourism in Phong Nha - Ke Bang cave.
Another highlight is that Dong Van Stone Plateau continues to be named in an important category, affirming the special cultural and tourist attraction of the land in the northernmost part of the country. Dong Van Stone Plateau, recognized by UNESCO as Vietnam's first Global Geopark on October 1, 2010, stands out with its geological formations dating back over 500 million years and is home to 17 ethnic groups.
Dong Van Stone Plateau continues to be named in the most important category, affirming the special cultural and tourist attraction of the land in the northernmost part of the Fatherland.
According to the assessment from the National Tourism Administration, the continuous victories at WTA are a testament to the strong and sustainable development of Vietnam's tourism industry, and at the same time an opportunity for Vietnam to continue to improve its competitiveness, upgrade its destination image, and position Vietnam as an outstanding destination in Asia.
