Vietnam is reshaping the direction of its tourism industry around cultural heritage, community participation, sustainability, technology and higher-value visitor experiences. The shift is formally reflected in Resolution 26-NQ/TW, issued on August 22, 2026, which sets out a new national framework for developing tourism as a key economic sector.
The policy places culture at the core of Vietnam’s tourism proposition while calling for stronger use of science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and green development. It also seeks to move the industry away from an emphasis on visitor numbers alone towards quality, value creation and longer-term sustainability.
Culture Becomes The Core Of Vietnam’s Tourism Strategy
Resolution 26-NQ/TW identifies culture as the core foundation of tourism development, with national identity and the quality of visitor experiences positioned as competitive advantages.
The policy recognises tourism as an interconnected economic sector capable of supporting transport, services, cultural industries, creative industries, agriculture and the digital economy. This approach means tourism is being treated not simply as a visitor-service industry, but as part of a much wider economic and cultural ecosystem.
For travellers, that could translate into stronger emphasis on destinations where history, architecture, cuisine, traditional crafts, festivals and local lifestyles are part of the experience rather than simply background attractions.
Vietnam Targets Higher-Value Tourism By 2030
The new direction also establishes ambitious targets for the end of the decade.
By 2030, Vietnam aims for tourism to become a key economic sector contributing directly between 10% and 12% of GDP. The country is targeting 45 million to 50 million international visitors, 160 million domestic tourist trips and total tourism receipts of US$80 billion to US$90 billion.
The strategy also places greater attention on travellers who spend more and stay longer.
That distinction is important because increasing visitor numbers alone can place pressure on heritage sites, natural environments, infrastructure and local communities. A higher-value tourism model can instead focus on improving the quality of experiences and spreading economic benefits across destinations.
Community Tourism Gains Greater Importance
Local communities are positioned as an important part of Vietnam’s tourism development model.
Community participation can help connect tourism with traditional livelihoods, handicrafts, food culture, festivals and indigenous knowledge. It can also create opportunities for income to remain within destinations rather than being concentrated entirely among larger tourism operators.
This approach is particularly relevant to Vietnam’s rural and mountainous areas, where ethnic minority communities maintain distinctive cultural traditions and landscapes.
The national policy direction also links tourism with broader cultural, rural and ethnic-minority development initiatives. In 2026, the Vietnamese government introduced a programme focused on preserving and promoting traditional cultures of ethnic minority groups, providing another policy framework relevant to community-based cultural development.
Heritage Destinations Gain A New Role
Vietnam’s cultural heritage already provides one of the country’s strongest tourism assets.
Hoi An, Hue, Ha Long Bay and other internationally recognised destinations attract travellers because of their combination of history, architecture, landscapes and living culture. The new strategy creates a stronger policy basis for connecting these assets with high-quality tourism products.
Rather than relying only on sightseeing, destinations can build deeper experiences around food, traditional arts, craft villages, historic neighbourhoods, festivals and community interaction.
This can also encourage visitors to move beyond the country’s most established tourism centres and explore smaller destinations with distinctive cultural identities.
Sustainability Moves Beyond Environmental Protection
Sustainable tourism under the new framework is broader than simply reducing environmental impacts.
Resolution 26-NQ/TW calls for development that connects economic, cultural, social and environmental objectives. It also identifies green growth and sustainable development alongside science, technology, innovation and digital transformation as important elements of the tourism model.
That means future tourism planning is expected to consider the long-term health of destinations as well as immediate visitor demand.
For coastal destinations, this can include managing pressure on marine environments. For heritage cities, it can mean balancing visitor access with conservation. In rural areas, community participation can help ensure tourism growth does not displace traditional livelihoods.
Digital Innovation Becomes Part Of The Visitor Experience
Technology is another major pillar of Vietnam’s tourism strategy.
The resolution calls for stronger application of science and technology, innovation and digital transformation across tourism management and development. This includes the broader shift towards smart tourism, digital promotion and improved destination management.
For travellers, digital tourism can influence everything from trip planning and ticketing to destination information, navigation and personalised experiences.
For tourism authorities and businesses, better data can help identify visitor patterns, manage capacity and develop products based on actual demand.
Vietnam’s Tourism Industry Enters 2026 With Strong Momentum
The strategic shift comes as Vietnam’s tourism sector is already recording significant growth.
The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism reported that the country expected to welcome around 12.2 million international visitors during the first six months of 2026, representing a 14.8% increase from the same period in 2025. Domestic tourism reached approximately 81 million trips, while tourism receipts were estimated at VND569 trillion.
The figures indicate that the industry entered the second half of 2026 with strong momentum.
They also provide context for why policymakers are placing greater emphasis on quality and value. As international arrivals rise, managing destination capacity, infrastructure, services and cultural resources becomes increasingly important.
From Visitor Numbers To Visitor Value
One of the clearest changes in Vietnam’s tourism direction is the move away from measuring success primarily through volume.
Resolution 26-NQ/TW explicitly calls for a shift from quantity-based development towards greater quality, efficiency, sustainability and value creation. It also identifies the need for stronger destination management, improved services, greater digital adoption and closer regional coordination.
That approach could reshape how destinations compete.
Instead of simply asking how many people visit, tourism authorities and businesses will increasingly need to consider how long visitors stay, how much they spend, how widely tourism income is distributed and whether local cultural and environmental assets remain healthy.
Government Action Plan Takes The Strategy Forward
The policy is already moving into an implementation phase.
On September 7, 2026, the Vietnamese government issued Resolution 263/NQ-CP, establishing its action programme for implementing Resolution 26-NQ/TW. The move provides a formal government framework for translating the broader tourism strategy into concrete measures.
For Vietnam, the next stage will therefore focus on implementation across destinations, communities, businesses and government agencies.
The direction is increasingly clear: cultural heritage will remain central, communities will have a stronger role, and sustainability and digital innovation will become more closely integrated into tourism development.
As Vietnam expands its international tourism presence, the country’s future model is being shaped around not only bringing more travellers through its gateways, but creating richer experiences while protecting the cultural and environmental assets that bring visitors there in the first place.
