Digital travel platform Agoda recently unveiled its 2023 Search Data report highlighting increased travel-related searches to and within the country.

Accordingly, the data, which showcases the evolving travel patterns of both international visitors to Vietnam and Vietnamese travellers looking to explore global destinations, revealed an extraordinary 298% year-on-year increase in inbound searches for Vietnam. 

“Vietnam this year has consistently grown in attractiveness to travellers around the world, with the nation becoming ever more accessible,” said Lam Vu, Vietnam's country director at Agoda.

Authorities have effectively promoted the nation to markets abroad. The popularity of Vietnam has also increased because of liberalising visa policies and, of course, through the great travel deals available daily on Agoda, he said.

The top five nations looking to travel to Vietnam were the Republic of Korea, the United States, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore.

"The increase in travel searches for Vietnam is a testament to the country's appeal as a destination and the growing wanderlust among its residents. The data reflects a heightened interest in exploring international destinations and a strong desire to discover the diverse landscapes and cultural richness within Vietnam itself," Lam said.

In a report by Booking.com, when it comes to top nationalities visiting Vietnam for winter, travellers from the Republic of Korea, followed by Australia and the USA, are at the top of the list.

The platform said that the top five nationalities visiting Vietnam with check-in dates between December 1, 2023, and February 29, 2024, that saw increases compared to the same time in 2022 were the Republic of Korea, Australia, the US, Singapore and the UK.

Vietnamese feel more alive when travelling

In terms of outbound travel, Vietnamese travellers were also looking further afield to satisfy their hunger for travel, with outbound searches from travellers here surging by 45%.

According to Agoda, Thailand, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Japan, and Malaysia are the top five searched international markets for Vietnamese travellers.

Capital cities from the most popular markets also feature in the top five destinations list, with Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul and Tokyo taking top honours among travellers from the southeast Asian nation—Taipei rounds of the city destination rankings.

Interestingly, even with the appetite of Vietnam’s travellers for international getaways growing by 45%, domestic searches for Vietnamese destinations also increased as there were 17% more searches for travel within Vietnam’s borders.

Within Vietnam, the top searched destinations by local travellers were HCM City, Vung Tau, Da Nang, Hanoi, and Da Lat.

Booking.com revealed that beach destinations seem to be favourites with Vietnamese travellers this winter, with five out of the top 10 most searched cities being beach destinations. 

With a coastline of over 3,000 km, it's no surprise that these destinations offer the perfect winter getaway for those seeking sun, sand and relaxation. While beaches continue to be popular, Vietnamese are also looking at city trips, with HCM City and Hanoi making it to the top five most searched destinations by Vietnamese travellers from December 1, 2023, to February 29, 2024. 

Varun Grover, country head of Vietnam at Booking.com, commented: “As per our Travel Predictions 2024 research, 81% of Vietnamese travellers revealed that they feel more alive when they are on vacation, and we are pleased to see travellers embrace this travel, enthusiasm as the holiday season approaches.”

According to Booking.com, the top 10 most searched domestic destinations by Vietnamese travellers with check-in dates between December 1, 2023, and February 29, 2024, including Hoi An, Da Lat, HCM City, Hanoi, Da Nang, Vung Tau, Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Sapa and Mui Ne.

While hotels remain the most popular accommodation type for Vietnamese travellers, they also explore alternative accommodations while on holiday. Hotels, followed by resorts, apartments, homestays and apart-hotels, are the top five most searched accommodation types for festive travel between December 1, 2023, and February 29, 2024

Given its proximity to Việt Nam, Bangkok tops the list of most searched international destinations by Vietnamese for year-end travel. Interestingly, the list of the 10 top most searched international destinations for winter travel are all within the Asia Pacific region, with Bangkok topping the list, followed by Singapore and Tokyo.