Thailand Begins To Be Abandoned, Chinese Tourists Are Increasingly Visiting Vietnam

Illustration of tourist destinations (Pexels/Van Long Bui)

JAKARTA - Vietnam's tourism is increasing with an impressive new record. This year, Vietnam managed to attract nearly 14 million foreign tourists, with tourists from China dominating.

Quoted from The Business Times, on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, the number of Chinese tourist visits stepped on 44 percent from January to August 2025. This figure makes Vietnam shift Thailand as the favorite tourist destination for China in Southeast Asia.

Data shows that more than 3.5 million Chinese tourists flocked to Vietnam this year. Security factors are one of the main causes of the shift in Chinese tourist destinations.

As is known, the kidnapping case of Chinese actors in Thailand in January made many travelers hesitate to visit Thailand. This resulted in the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand declining by 35 percent.

In the first 8 months of 2025 the capacity of airplane seats from China to Thailand fell 11 percent, which was to 5.1 million seats. The President of the Thai Hotel Association, Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, said it was indeed caused by security issues.

"China tourists who have never been to Thailand are still afraid, even though the government has taken action against fraud and increased security," said Chaiyapatrun.

China Trading Desk CEO, Subramania Bhatt, said that in addition to security, Chinese tourists now prefer to visit Vietnam because the country offers new and more authentic experiences.

"For the new generation of Chinese tourists, Vietnam offers a fresher and more authentic experience," said Bhatt.

Not only that, the Vietnamese government together with tourism industry players are also actively developing new attractions. Such as in Quang Ninh, a province bordering China, paragliding festivals and air balloons were held to extend the stay of tourists.