Chinese Tourists in Vietnam 2026: How to Turn Rising Numbers Into Real Revenue
Chinese tourists to Vietnam. The number climbed from near zero in 2020 to over 3.6 million in 2023, then to an estimated 5 million in 2024. Vietnam is now one of the fastest-recovering Chinese outbound destinations in all of Asia, and the business opportunity for Vietnamese tourism operators is real, immediate, and growing.
But most businesses are still not set up to serve this visitor well. Here is the before-and-after story, and what to do about it.
Before: Why Chinese Tourism to Vietnam Stalled
Pre-pandemic, Vietnam’s Chinese tourism boom was generating both revenue and controversy. The rapid influx of low-budget group tours created infrastructure pressure, quality service complaints from Chinese visitors, and some well-publicized incidents of substandard practices by a minority of operators. The pandemic then created a hard reset.
After: The New Chinese Visitor to Vietnam
The Chinese tourist visiting Vietnam in 2025 and 2026 looks different from 2019. The budget package tour segment has partially recovered but the dominant growth is in FIT travelers: younger Chinese visitors aged 25 to 40 who are drawn by Vietnam’s food scene, coastal beauty, and the value-for-money experience that a weakening Vietnamese dong makes even more attractive.
Hanoi’s street food culture, Hoi An’s photogenic old town, the Ha Long Bay limestone formations, and Ho Chi Minh City’s energy all perform exceptionally well on Chinese social platforms. Vietnam is one of the most-photographed destinations on Xiaohongshu among Chinese FIT travelers in Southeast Asia.
How Vietnamese Tourism Businesses Convert the Recovery Into Revenue
The Chinese visitors are coming. The question is who gets their business when they arrive. Here is what differentiates businesses that capture Chinese visitor revenue from those that don’t:
- Ctrip and Fliggy listings with Mandarin content, accurate descriptions, and competitive pricing. Chinese FIT travelers book hotels and tours on Ctrip first.
- WeChat Pay and Alipay at point of sale. Vietnam has been faster than many Southeast Asian peers in adopting Chinese mobile payments, particularly in tourist areas. Extend this to experiences, food tours, and transportation.
- Xiaohongshu presence with local content. A Vietnamese food tour operator who posts food preparation videos with Mandarin captions is generating bookings from Shanghai and Beijing without a single paid ad.
- Chinese-language reviews actively managed on Mafengwo. Vietnam’s Mafengwo content has improved but remains uneven. Businesses that invest in Mandarin review management see measurable improvements in Chinese booking rates.
Pedro’s Take
Vietnam is my favorite current Chinese tourism recovery story. The destination genuinely improved between the pre-pandemic group tour era and the 2025 FIT era. The product is better. The visitor profile is more sophisticated. And the content potential is extraordinary. The food alone could fuel ten years of Douyin videos. Vietnamese operators who build Chinese digital infrastructure now are positioning themselves for what will be one of Southeast Asia’s most valuable Chinese tourist markets through the end of the decade.
(Here is the joke: A tour guide in Hoi An complains that Chinese tourists always want to eat pho for breakfast. Then a Chinese traveler posts a photo of him making a perfect bowl of pho at 7am with a 45-second Douyin video, and the video gets 2 million views. The next week his lunch tours are fully booked with Chinese visitors for three months straight. Sometimes the thing you are complaining about is your best marketing asset.)
FAQ
Is Vietnam visa-free for Chinese tourists?
Vietnam offers Chinese nationals visa-free entry for up to 30 days (as of 2023 policy changes). This has been a significant driver of the recovery in Chinese arrivals.
What are the most popular destinations in Vietnam for Chinese tourists?
Da Nang and Hoi An (beach + old town photography), Ha Long Bay, Hanoi (street food tourism), Ho Chi Minh City, and the emerging Phu Quoc island destination all rank highly in Chinese social media content.
About the author: Oliver is CEO of Chinese Tourists Agency. Contact Pedro Wang to build Vietnamese tourism businesses’ Chinese digital presence.
Want to turn Vietnam’s Chinese tourism recovery into direct bookings for your business? Talk to Chinese Tourists Agency.
