Vietnam Boosts Tourism Brand Amid Economic Growth and Active Diplomacy

Vietnam is set to elevate its national tourism brand by 2035, positioning it as a high-quality, safe, and leading Asian destination for heritage, cuisine, beach resorts, culture, and Vietnamese lifestyles. A network of digital tourism ambassadors will also be developed in key target markets. Experts emphasize that tourism effectiveness should be measured not only by visitor numbers and revenue but also by spending, length of stay, repeat visits, job quality, visitor satisfaction, and environmental carrying capacity. In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam welcomed nearly 2 million international visitors in August, a 19.7% increase from July and 18.4% year-on-year. This figure represents 63.6% of the tourism sector’s full-year target of 25 million arrivals. Economically, Vietnam recorded nearly 138,100 newly registered businesses in the first eight months of 2026, with total registered capital reaching nearly 1.708 quadrillion VND (65.9 billion USD), up 7.7% in number of enterprises and 36.2% in registered capital year on year. The average registered capital per newly established business stood at 12.4 billion VND, a 26.4% increase from the same period last year. Vietnam’s total import-export turnover reached a record high of 770.14 billion USD in the first eight months of 2026, up 28.7% year on year. Exports rose 22.4%, while imports increased 35.3%. On the diplomatic front, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam, together with his spouse and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, paid a state visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. National Assembly President Tran Thanh Man and his spouse, accompanied by a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, paid an official visit to the Republic of Korea at the invitation of Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Cho Jeong-sik and his spouse. These visits aim to strengthen Vietnam's international partnerships. In education, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam has called for a strong shift from refining institutions and policies to effective implementation, ensuring adequate schools, classrooms and teachers while stressing that the ultimate goal of education is to nurture people, rather than pursue scores or qualifications. The Prime Minister has issued Directive No. 31/CT-TTg on key tasks for the 2026–2027 school year, calling for stronger innovation in education governance, a shift from “education management” to “education development governance”, and effective implementation of breakthrough measures to advance education and training. Environmental protection and climate change response must be central to development decisions and serve as a foundation for green transition, stronger growth quality, productivity, competitiveness, and sustainable economic development, stressed Party General Secretary and State President To Lam. He has signed Conclusion No. 75-KL/TW of the third meeting of the 14th Party Central Committee, setting a 2030 target of strengthening environmental governance, climate change response and disaster prevention and control to better protect people’s lives, health, property and livelihoods. By 2045, Vietnam aims to ensure a clean and healthy living environment in harmony with nature, pursue sustainable development, establish a modern environmental governance system, and adapt effectively to climate change. Total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue in the first seven months of 2026 were estimated at 4.56 quadrillion VND (approximately 174.7 billion USD), up 13.1% year on year, indicating continued growth in the service sector. Source: VietnamPlus English