Tet is the most important event in Vietnam’s cultural calendar, triggering the country’s largest annual surge in mobility and consumer spending. Travel demand during this period is highly concentrated, with elevated airfares, compressed booking windows, and intensified competition across airlines, tour operators, and accommodation providers. 

Against this peak-season backdrop, Vietnamese international travel demand is expanding. In February 2026 (Tet period), 34% of Vietnamese respondents indicate an intention to travel internationally, compared to 26% during Tet 2025. The eight-percentage-point increase year-on-year reflects stronger outbound appetite despite the structural pressures typical of this high-demand window. 

Data from Outbox’s Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker highlights three defining characteristics shaping Vietnamese international travel behavior during Tet 2026. 

Despite the global trend toward independent travel (FIT), the Vietnamese market is moving in the opposite direction for the 2026 holiday season. The data reveals that 37% of international travelers prefer all-inclusive package tours, compared to 23% who plan to organize their own trips. 

This inclination toward structured products is closely linked to the operational realities of Tet. Departure dates are concentrated within a short window, airports are crowded, and flight or hotel changes are harder to manage. In this environment, separate bookings can increase stress and uncertainty. Package tours bring flights, hotels, transfers, and itineraries under one booking structure, making the overall trip easier to manage during a high-pressure travel period. 

Moreover, travel composition further reinforces this preference. During Tet, 42% of Vietnamese international travelers travel with multi-generational family groups. Coordinating schedules, room configurations, meal preferences, and activity pacing across age segments increases planning complexity. Structured tour formats streamline these variables, offering centralized management and clearer cost visibility for larger groups. 

Among those planning international trips, 41% expect to spend over 40 million VND for their trips. 

This concentration at the higher end of the spending spectrum indicates that outbound travelers during Tet form a premium segment. International travel during this period competes directly with other major holiday expenditures, yet a substantial share of respondents still allocates significant budgets to overseas trips. 

Rather than signaling price sensitivity, the data points to financial readiness and willingness to commit substantial resources to international travel experiences during a compressed holiday window. For industry stakeholders, this spending profile supports positioning strategies centered on value depth, service assurance, and experience quality rather than price compression. 

Accommodation preferences further reinforce the premium profile of Tet outbound travelers. 35% of surveyed Vietnamese favor 4–5-star hotels — the highest proportion among all accommodation types. 

The prominence of this segment indicates a strong inclination toward standardized service, established brand reputation, and comprehensive on-site facilities. Upper-tier hotels typically offer integrated amenities, professional service delivery, and centrally located properties, which contribute to a more structured and seamless travel experience. 

Hotel selection, in this context, appears to function as a core component of trip design rather than a secondary budget item. The alignment between higher overall trip spending and preference for 4–5 star accommodation suggests that comfort, service quality, and reliability are prioritized within international travel planning. 

The Tet 2026 data presents a coherent outbound profile: higher participation compared to the previous year, strong concentration in high spending brackets, structured travel planning, and preference for established accommodation standards. 

For destinations, airlines, hotel groups, and tour operators, competitiveness will depend on premium positioning, bundled clarity, and delivery reliability aligned with the expectations of a high-spending outbound segment. 

The Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker (VTMMT) by The Outbox Company provides the industry’s most comprehensive data on Vietnamese traveler behaviors. Designed for tourism boards, airlines, and global travel brands, the VTMMT delivers the actionable market intelligence needed to optimize strategic planning and product development. Contact The Outbox Company today to access the latest travel insights and lead the market in the year ahead. 

In today’s ever-changing and competitive travel landscape, data-driven decisions are more critical than ever. Understanding how travelers behave, how markets shift, and how brands perform enables travel businesses and destinations to stay ahead. Outbox introduces 8 essential research solutions designed to support smarter strategies and actionable decisions across the tourism and hospitality sectors.

1. Market Profiling

Market Profiling is a research solution that provides a detailed portrait of your target audience, including their consumption behaviors. It helps define market segments and uncover what your customers truly need and are interested in, enabling more informed decisions around products and marketing.

The solution offers an in-depth understanding of what motivates current and potential customers to engage with your brand, where they are most likely to interact with your products or services, what messaging or offerings best appeal to their needs, and how they behave as consumers.

Market Profiling empowers businesses to thoroughly understand their target audiences, including their demographics, desires, and expectations. It identifies key touchpoints across the customer decision-making journey and enables the development of tailored products and marketing messages that resonate. Ultimately, this solution helps travel businesses attract interest, improve engagement, and enhance loyalty.

SINGAPORE – Exploration of Vietnam’s Business Outbound Market

2. Concept Testing

Concept Testing evaluates how your target customers perceive and react to a new product or service idea before it goes to market. This helps reduce uncertainty and optimize your product development.

This solution delivers insights into how the tested concept resonates with different audience segments, identifies specific clusters of features that are critical to attracting and retaining customers, and gauges the willingness to pay for the concept.

Concept Testing enables travel and hospitality businesses to assess a concept’s market readiness before investing in its development or launch. It helps adjust the product based on real customer feedback, align offerings with audience needs, and make cost-effective, data-driven decisions.

HSG – Measure the perception level of the target travelers about the idea of ​​a tourist resort investment project

3. Journey Mapping

Journey Mapping is a solution designed to visualize and analyze the end-to-end journey of a customer, from their initial idea of using a product or service to the completion of their consumption process. By mapping out the various steps and touchpoints involved, including customer touchpoints, pain points, and behavioral stages, this solution provides a deep and strategic understanding of the customer experience. 

This understanding enables businesses to identify gaps in their Customer Experience programs, implement tools to monitor and measure customer satisfaction at key touchpoints, and pinpoint areas of friction in the customer journey. 

Ultimately, Journey Mapping empowers businesses to develop targeted solutions, create benchmarks for improvement, enhance customer experience, and foster greater customer loyalty.

SINGAPORE – Shaping the customer journey of Vietnam incentive outbound travel

4. Sentiment Tracking

Sentiment Tracking provides a comprehensive understanding of market eagerness towards a specific event, such as a purchasing decision, a campaign, or a new product launch. By measuring audience ideas, opinions, and reactions, it enables businesses to gain realistic forecasts of customer decisions, facilitating better improvements and adaptations. 

The solution provides detailed insights into customer perceptions, including their enthusiasm for a consumption intention or branding campaign, their willingness to purchase a product or service, perceived obstacles, and spending intentions within similar product categories.

This understanding is crucial for businesses to gauge market eagerness for new product launches, thereby enabling cost-effective investment and launch decisions.

DANANG – Measure the travel sentiment of the target market

5. Satisfaction Measuring

Satisfaction Measuring precisely and thoroughly measures the customer experience by providing insights into the customer’s level of satisfaction throughout their product usage journey. It aids in identifying the gap between customer expectations and the actual delivery of the product or service, enabling businesses to improve customer experience and foster loyalty. 

The solution offers an in-depth understanding of performance attribute maps (by performance and importance), the top drivers affecting improvement priorities, and improvement opportunities. 

This enables businesses to perform quality control, identify gaps between CX expectations and actual delivery, audit processes according to company procedures and policies, pinpoint current pain points affecting customer satisfaction levels, and efficiently allocate company resources to solutions that create the most impactful changes in customer satisfaction.

HCMC DOT – Building a portrait of the top 10 international key markets coming to HCMC

6. Brand Health Checking

Brand Health Checking helps to understand the audience’s perception of your brand and what audiences think about your brand image so you can adjust it according to your desired message and vision. 

This solution offers comprehensive insights into several key questions: 

• Are potential customers aware of your brand? 
• Does your brand fulfill its promises? 
• What does your brand represent in the minds of potential customers?
• Furthermore, how does this perception align with what customers and potential customers desire?

This enables you to create both short-term and long-term marketing strategies that enhance the company’s image in the eyes of the audience. It helps optimize communication between the brand and its customers while allowing for necessary improvements and adjustments to ensure the brand adapts to the current market conditions.

7. Market Sizing

Market Sizing helps to gain a deep understanding and insight about a market, identify the size, business opportunity, and competitors. Having an accurate view of the market enables you to make effective and precise business decisions. 

The solution offers an in-depth understanding of the total size (or potential size) of a market, the major competitors in a market by category, the composition and profile of a target customer, and the products/services available in the market. 

This is crucial to identify and capture market opportunities, envision a realistic business plan, make precise investment decisions, create realistic sales forecasts, develop efficient and effective market-entering campaigns, identify the direct competitor set, and make informed benchmarking business decisions.

KHANH HOA – Evaluation of the tourism supply chain for accommodation in Khanh Hoa for Nha Trang Bay Investment Group

8. Destination Image Measuring

Destination Image Measuring measures the perception and sentiment of visitors toward a destination. It helps you understand the common opinions and thinking about your place and identify the difference between the expected and the realistic perception of the destination image. 

The solution provides a comprehensive understanding of the following aspects: 

• The difference between organic images and modified images.
• Common functional attributes, which include characteristics that allow most destinations to be compared, such as price, climate, and types of accommodation.
• Unique functional attributes, which consist of distinctive icons and special events that contribute to a destination’s image.
• Common psychological or abstract attributes, including factors like the friendliness of locals, a destination’s notoriety, and the beauty of its landscapes.
• Unique psychological attributes, which refer to the emotions associated with places of religious pilgrimage or historical significance.

This is essential to create effective marketing campaigns to deliver the right image of the destination, reassess the destination’s image, and develop a plan to improve the destination accordingly.

TAIWAN – Exploring Taiwan destination image among Vietnamese travelers

Conclusion

Outbox’s custom research solutions offer a comprehensive approach to addressing the unique challenges faced by travel businesses and destinations in today’s fast-changing market. From understanding your audience to optimizing brand performance and measuring destination image, each solution empowers decision-makers to take actions with clarity and confidence.

Don’t let assumptions guide your next move – Let actionable insights do the work. Contact Outbox to gain travel market insights tailored to your organization.

As travel demand continues to rise, it is crucial for hoteliers to understand how Vietnamese travelers select and book their accommodations. While revenue-focused metrics like Average Daily Rate (ADR) and Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) are important, other behavioral indicators, such as booking lead time, purpose of stay, and responsiveness to promotions, provide valuable insights into travelers’ motivations and decision-making processes. By analyzing these data points, hotel businesses can better tailor their offerings, pricing strategies, and promotional efforts, ultimately enhancing conversion rates, customer satisfaction, and long-term loyalty.

The 7 Essential Metrics and Insights Behind Booking and Stay Behavior

1. Booking Lead Time
This metric tracks the average number of days between a traveler’s booking and check-in date. It helps distinguish between last-minute and well-planned bookings. Hotels and travel businesses can use this insight to tailor pricing strategies, such as offering early bird discounts or last-minute deals, depending on customer behavior trends.

2. Preferred Booking Channels
This measures the share of bookings made via each platform: hotel websites, OTAs, travel agents, and more. Knowing which channels are most effective helps businesses allocate their marketing budgets efficiently, doubling down on the platforms that drive the highest conversion rates.

3. Purpose of Stay
Analyzing the reasons for travel—leisure, business, or visiting relatives—offers a clear view of shifting traveler motivations. This information can guide product customization and communication strategies aligned with each traveler segment.

4. Average Daily Spend on Accommodation
This represents the average amount spent per night during a booking. It serves as a key input for pricing strategy and helps identify spending behavior across segments. Businesses can adjust their offers to better align with the expectations and financial capacity of their target audience.

5. Top Amenities in Demand

By examining the most frequently selected amenities—such as free Wi-Fi, breakfast, pools, or gyms—hotels gain clarity on what guests truly value. These insights guide investment decisions in infrastructure and service upgrades to elevate the guest experience.

6. Booking Trends Segment

Tracking where travelers are coming from allows providers to uncover regional booking patterns. This geographic segmentation is invaluable for localizing marketing campaigns, developing regional promotions, and aligning service offerings with specific customer needs.

7. Promotional Uptake Rate

This metric shows how many bookings were influenced by promotions, discounts, or packages. It evaluates the success of marketing tactics and helps optimize future campaigns to better capture value-conscious travelers.

Turning Metrics into Market Advantage

Capturing and analyzing these 7 metrics empowers hospitality providers to take data-driven actions: fine-tune pricing, refine distribution strategies, personalize services, and optimize promotions. Ultimately, understanding these behaviors is the key to driving revenue growth and building stronger guest relationships.

To help businesses stay ahead, Outbox offers quarterly updates on these metrics as part of its Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker solution.

As technology continues to shape the travel experience, Vietnamese travelers—both domestic and outbound—are setting different expectations for the future of travel tech. While convenience and efficiency remain key priorities, their exposure to international innovations significantly influences their preferences.

Overview of Vietnamese Travelers’ Expectations for Travel Technology Applications

Travelers today prioritize essential and practical technologies that enrich their travel experience. This includes tools for navigation, virtual reality previews, and advanced payment systems. Those who have traveled internationally often develop heightened expectations for these technologies, such as artificial intelligence and chip applications. Their exposure to a variety of tech solutions while abroad influences their familiarity and sets higher standards for what they expect during their travels.

Differences in Travel Tech Expectations Between Domestic and Outbound Travelers

Among all travel technologies, payment flexibility stands out as the most highly anticipated advancement. An impressive 72% of travelers expressed a desire for seamless payment solutions, highlighting the growing demand for cashless transactions, digital wallets, and alternative payment methods. Interestingly, both domestic (62%) and outbound travelers (63%) share similar expectations, indicating that the push for modern payment systems extends beyond those traveling abroad.

As travelers seek more immersive experiences, virtual reality (VR) technology is gaining popularity. 60% of Vietnamese travelers expect VR to play a role in their journeys, with outbound travelers showing slightly higher interest (63%) than domestic ones (58%). This suggests that those who travel internationally are more accustomed to advanced digital experiences.

Similarly, AI chatbots are increasingly seen as valuable tools for real-time customer support. However, expectations vary significantly between outbound travelers (51%) and domestic travelers (41%). The higher demand from outbound travelers indicates a preference for AI-driven assistance when navigating unfamiliar destinations.

For outbound travelers, offline access to maps and translation tools is crucial. 65% of them expect this technology to be available, compared to 52% of domestic travelers. The significant gap suggests that international travelers face greater challenges with language barriers and connectivity, making offline accessibility a vital necessity.

Emerging technologies like smart luggage (RFID e-tags) and robotic assistants are generating notable interest. 54% of outbound travelers see value in smart luggage, while 43% of domestic travelers find it appealing. Similarly, robotic assistants attract 45% of outbound travelers, whereas only 37% of domestic travelers find them relevant. These trends indicate that frequent international travelers, who encounter smart travel solutions in global airports and hotels, are more inclined to adopt them.

Conclusion

Vietnamese travelers are embracing technology at different levels based on their exposure to international travel. 

Flexible payment options remain the top priority, highlighting the growing demand for cashless transactions and digital wallets in tourism. The high expectation for VR technology and AI chatbots signals a shift toward more digitized and immersive travel experiences, particularly in trip planning and customer support.

Outbound travelers demonstrate a stronger demand for technology that supports international mobility, especially in translation tools, offline maps, and smart luggage solutions, which help navigate foreign destinations more seamlessly. While robotic assistants and AI-driven automation are gaining attention, their adoption still lags behind more practical and immediate needs, such as payment solutions and virtual experience technologies.

By understanding these differences, destinations and businesses can better align their digital transformation strategies, ensuring a seamless and enhanced experience for all travelers.

Mobile wallets have become essential for travelers, transforming how they pay for travel-related expenses. In Vietnam, the mobile wallet market is highly concentrated, dominated by several key players that shape user preferences and loyalty.

This blog highlights the most popular mobile wallet brands among Vietnamese travelers in 2024, based on data collected over the past 12 months. This ranking offers valuable insights into the current landscape, helping businesses understand consumer behavior and identify market opportunities.

The Current Mobile Wallet Landscape

Momo continues to be the dominant player in the Vietnam mobile wallet market, boasting a remarkable P12M rate of 89%, which reflects its extensive user base. This strong penetration is also evident in its consistently high BUMO rate, significantly surpassing its competitors. Momo’s frequent use in daily transactions – thanks to its wide range of services and reliable performance – solidifies its position as the preferred wallet for Vietnamese consumers.

ZaloPay holds a respectable second place with a P12M rate of 60%, showcasing its broad adoption among users. However, its BUMO rate is considerably lower than Momo’s, indicating that while many users have tried the service, fewer rely on it for regular transactions. ZaloPay’s growth potential lies in enhancing user retention and expanding its ecosystem to boost daily engagement.

ShopeePay, with its integration into the Shopee platform, secures a solid third position with a P12M rate of 46%. Its BUMO rate is relatively modest compared to the top two wallets, suggesting that its primary use is associated with online shopping rather than broader financial services. Expanding beyond e-commerce payments will be crucial for ShopeePay to increase its regular usage rate.

Viettel Money has a 12-month (P12M) adoption rate of 41%, indicating steady usage among a specific segment of users, particularly those familiar with Viettel’s telecom services. However, its BUMO rate is among the lowest in the market, suggesting limited daily usage. This presents an opportunity for Viettel Money to expand its service offerings and increase user engagement beyond telecom-related payments.

VNPay, with a P12M rate of 33%, shows a moderate presence in the market. Similar to Viettel Money, VNPay’s BUMO rate is relatively low. Unlike other wallets that focus on retail payments, VNPay thrives in providing a wide range of bill payment and banking-related services. To boost user engagement, VNPay could enhance the user experience and expand its service offerings to attract a wider audience beyond occasional users.

Domestic vs. Global Players

The Vietnamese mobile wallet market is primarily dominated by local brands such as Momo, ZaloPay, Viettel Money and VNPay, which consistently outperform global competitors. These domestic players have cultivated strong consumer trust and loyalty by offering localized services, frequent promotions, and cashback programs tailored specifically for Vietnamese users.

ShopeePay, although a regional player, has effectively positioned itself as a strong competitor by integrating with Shopee, one of Vietnam’s leading e-commerce platforms. This integration provides ShopeePay with high visibility and frequent usage, particularly during shopping promotions and major sales events. As a result, ShopeePay has managed to secure a significant share of the market and remain competitive with top domestic wallets.

Conclusion

The increasing popularity of mobile wallets is transforming the payment landscape for Vietnamese travelers. To take advantage of growth opportunities in 2025, businesses must understand consumer preferences and stay updated on the latest market data. Mobile wallets have evolved beyond mere payment tools; they are now strategic assets for both travelers and companies within the travel ecosystem.

For a comprehensive understanding of how Vietnamese travelers interact with these platforms, check out our newly released report, “Vietnam Travel Tech 2024.”

As Vietnamese travelers become more dependent on technology for planning their trips, online travel agents (OTAs) have established themselves as essential intermediaries in the travel ecosystem. This blog highlights the top OTA brands preferred by Vietnamese travelers, based on data from the Vietnam Travel-Focused Omnibus Survey. This monthly tracking model continuously gathers responses from over 4,500 Vietnamese travelers throughout 2024.

The ranking reveals the dominance of global players and the growing significance of localized experiences in influencing consumer behavior. The survey data measures brand awareness through two key indicators: P12M users—representing those who have interacted with the brand in the past 12 months—and total users, which reflects overall brand recognition. These metrics comprehensively show each brand’s market penetration and influence among Vietnamese travelers.

The Dominance of Global Players: Same Stage, Different Performance

Global OTAs dominate the Vietnamese travel market, but their success varies significantly in terms of brand awareness and usage. Traveloka, Booking.com, and Agoda lead the pack, yet each brand demonstrates a distinct level of familiarity among travelers. 

Traveloka holds the leading position, with 82% of respondents familiar with the brand over the past 12 months and 72% recognizing it overall. By tailoring services to the Vietnamese market—such as integrating local payment options and offering Vietnamese language support—Traveloka bridges the gap between a global platform and local needs, giving it a competitive edge over its global peers.

In second place, Booking.com has achieved significant recognition, with 81% of users aware of the brand over the past year and 73% aware in total. While its brand equity is comparable to Traveloka’s, Booking.com is perceived as a more international-centric platform, appealing especially to those seeking outbound travel experiences.

Agoda ranks third, with 78% of users familiar with the brand in the past 12 months and 64% overall recognition. Agoda’s focus on hotel bookings, particularly in Asia, resonates well with price-sensitive Vietnamese travelers. Through promotional campaigns and flexible booking options, Agoda has cultivated a loyal customer base among frequent travelers.

Interestingly, Trip.com—an international OTA with growing regional influence—occupies a space somewhere between global and local players. With 39% P12M awareness and 32% total awareness, Trip.com’s success stems from its ability to position itself as a hub for both regional and global travel, especially within Asia-Pacific. Its appeal lies in combining global inventory with regional expertise, catering to Vietnamese tourists increasingly interested in short-haul international trip

Domestic Players vs. Global Giants: Finding Strength in Localization

While global OTAs dominate the market, local brands are carving out space by offering more personalized and relevant experiences for Vietnamese travelers.  Mytour.vn stands out as the leading domestic player with 43% P12M awareness and 38% total awareness. Mytour.vn focuses on promoting domestic destinations, offering localized content, and providing customer service tailored to Vietnamese preferences. This localized approach allows Mytour.vn to compete not by matching the scale of global OTAs but by offering a deeply familiar and culturally relevant user experience.

Comparing global and domestic OTAs reveals that while international players leverage scale and global connectivity, local OTAs focus on cultural relevance and customer proximity, which remains a powerful differentiator for travelers prioritizing domestic experiences.

For businesses and destinations, these insights highlight clear opportunities to refine strategies in a highly competitive market. International Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) should continue investing in localized content and services to stay relevant, while domestic players should focus on enhancing the customer experience and addressing underserved segments, such as niche travel or emerging destinations. Furthermore, partnerships between OTAs and destinations can enhance visibility and improve the traveler experience, creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem. 

As we move deeper into an increasingly digital world, the competition for consumer attention will intensify. Both global and local brands must prioritize innovation, personalization, and collaboration to win over Vietnamese travelers in 2024 and beyond. Although the landscape is competitive, it also presents numerous opportunities for those willing to adapt and evolve.

To deeply understand how Vietnamese travelers engage with these platforms, stay tuned to our new report Vietnam Travel Tech 2024 – to be released soon this February!

The Outbox Company has officially released the Most Loved Ranking 2024, which highlights the “Top 10 Domestic and Outbound Destinations of the Year by Vietnamese Travelers.”

This ranking was compiled using data from the monthly tracking model called the “Vietnam Travel-Focused Omnibus Survey.” This survey involved direct interviews with over 4,500 Vietnamese tourists conducted continuously throughout 2024. The ranking presents a list of domestic and outbound destinations based on the preferences of Vietnamese travelers. It aims to provide insights into the tastes and trends in destination selection among Vietnamese travelers, serving as a useful resource for businesses and destination managers to enhance their strategies for 2025.

Top 10 Domestic Destinations: Major Tourist Centers Continue to Lead

Domestic tourism plays a significant role in Vietnam travel industry, with a positive outlook for local vacations for Vietnamese travelers in 2024. The list of the top 10 most popular destinations among Vietnamese travelers last year indicates a continued focus on renowned locations, particularly suited for short getaways.

Da Nang: The Most Favored Destination for Vietnamese travelers in 2024

Da Nang has emerged as the standout destination in the domestic tourism market for 2024, with a preference rate of 21.6% among travelers—nearly three times higher than other popular destinations like Hanoi and Da Lat. This premier beach and event location in the Central region has consistently ranked at the top each month throughout 2024. Investments in brand communication and engaging tourism events by Da Nang City have yielded positive results over the past year.

Vietnamese travelers Favor Nearby Destinations for Relaxation

The travelers continue to prefer destinations near Vietnam’s two largest domestic tourism markets, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, especially considering that last year’s demand was largely geared toward resorts, with few new distinguished locations emerging. With convenient travel connections and the ability to meet short-term vacation demands, popular destinations like Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Nha Trang-Khanh Hoa, and Da Lat-Lam Dong in the south, and Sapa-Lao Cai, Ha Long-Quang Ninh, and Ha Giang in the north are among the top choices for Vietnamese travelers in the past year.

Big potential for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City tourism in the domestic market

In addition to serving as source markets for the domestic travel industry, the Most Loved Ranking for 2024 reveals that both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have the potential to become leading favorite destinations. This ranking provides a foundation for tourism management agencies in both cities to enhance policies aimed at developing the domestic market and leveraging their unique competitive advantages.

Particularly in 2024, Hanoi is experiencing significant growth in attracting domestic travelers, aided by innovative strategies in product development, festival events, and effective partnerships. Hanoi has surpassed many traditional tourist destinations to become the second-most preferred domestic location for Vietnamese travelers.

Top 10 Outbound Destinations: Intra-region Travel Remains the Main Trend

In addition to a growing interest in short-term domestic vacations, Vietnamese travelers are increasingly returning to outbound travel with greater frequency and volume. The list of the top 10 most popular outbound destinations for Vietnamese travelers in 2024 indicates that their preference for outbound travel aligns closely with global travel trends, primarily favoring nearby destinations in Asia and focusing on familiar, traditional locations.

Japan: The Most Popular Outbound Destination in 2024

Japan stands out as a leading destination in the global tourism industry for 2024. Similar to travelers from other countries, Vietnamese travelers are prioritizing Japan for their outbound trips this year, with 36.1% choosing it as their preferred destination. This preference is attributed to Japan’s attractive offerings, high service quality, and competitive costs compared to previous years.

China’s Rising Popularity Among Vietnamese Travelers

China has emerged as a top destination for Vietnamese travelers. The trend of prioritizing travel to China began in late 2023 and is expected to gain momentum throughout 2024. The allure of China’s landscapes, diverse attractions, and proactive measures to attract Vietnamese visitors have led to an increasing number of Vietnamese travelers selecting China for their next vacation. As a result, China has secured its place as the third most popular international destination for Vietnamese travelers in 2024, surpassing traditional Southeast Asian favorites like Thailand and Singapore, and only trailing behind Japan and South Korea.

Nearby Destinations Remain Vietnamese travelers’ Top Priority

Traditional nearby destinations in Asia, such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, continue to be favored by Vietnamese travelers in 2024, maintaining their stability from previous years. While these destinations may not see significant growth, they align with the current and future travel trends, where travelers increasingly prioritize short-term trips within the region to optimize travel time and costs. This trend explains why 9 out of the 10 most popular destinations for Vietnamese travelers are located in Asia. The United States stands out as the only long-haul destination in the top 10 favorites for Vietnamese travelers.

In the rapidly evolving tourism landscape, understanding brand performance and adapting to changing customer expectations is crucial for competitiveness. For travel businesses, known for their growth and diverse consumer dynamics, reliable data is essential for decision-making. The Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker provides a strategic advantage by delivering actionable insights in a cost-efficient, consistent, and tailored manner. 

This blog highlights how the Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker can enhance business strategies through three key benefits: quality targeted respondents, timely insights, and cost-effectiveness.

1. Target Respondents: Reaching Your Ideal Audience

The success of any market research depends on the quality of its data. The Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker ensures credibility by using a carefully selected group of respondents who must be Vietnamese travelers having intentions to travel in the next 6 months. These participants not only represent the broader traveler demographic but are also filtered to align with the specific needs of businesses.

For example, travel agencies can gain insights from potential customers who are actively planning their trips, while airlines can explore the preferences of frequent flyers. By targeting the right audience, the survey provides precise, actionable insights that help inform branding, marketing, and customer engagement strategies.

This focused approach reduces irrelevant information and offers clarity, ensuring that businesses have access to relevant data to understand their audience’s perceptions, behaviors, and evolving preferences.

2. Timings: Real-Time Insights for a Fast-Changing Market

Consumer behavior doesn’t wait, and neither should your data. In the dynamic tourism industry, where seasonal trends, economic factors, and external events can rapidly alter market dynamics, the Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker offers an unparalleled advantage with its monthly data collection cycle.

Unlike traditional research methods that may only provide a snapshot at a specific point in time, the monthly frequency of this survey ensures that businesses receive fresh and up-to-date insights. This consistency enables brands to continuously monitor key metrics such as brand awareness, consideration, and loyalty.

For instance, a hospitality brand launching a promotional campaign can measure its impact in nearly real-time, allowing for necessary adjustments to optimize performance. Similarly, destination marketing organizations (DMOs) can track how changes in traveler sentiment affect the attractiveness of their offerings over time.

In summary, timely data empowers businesses to stay agile, enabling them to respond swiftly to market changes and maintain a competitive edge.

3. Effective-Cost: Maximizing ROI on Research Efforts

Conducting customized research projects can be prohibitively expensive, particularly for businesses that wish to monitor various aspects of their performance. The omnibus approach optimizes research investments by pooling resources across multiple organizations, enabling each participant to benefit from high-quality data at a significantly reduced cost.

For businesses in Vietnam’s travel and hospitality sectors—where budgets are often divided among various marketing and operational priorities—the Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker offers a cost-effective solution. In addition to financial savings, the ability to customize add-on questions ensures that brands receive tailored insights without the expense of a standalone study.

This cost efficiency does not compromise the depth or quality of insights. Instead, it enables businesses to continuously track important metrics such as brand health while remaining resource efficient—a crucial advantage in today’s competitive landscape.

Conclusion

For destinations and travel businesses, staying ahead in a dynamic industry requires continuous learning and informed decision-making. The Vietnam Travel-Focused Omnibus Survey is the key to transforming data into a valuable asset for brand success in the Vietnam Travel Market.

Ready to take the next step? Contact us today to discover how the Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker can elevate your brand strategies.

In a world where consumer behavior and travel preferences evolve at an accelerated pace, the ability to continuously track these changes has become a strategic necessity for travel businesses. For Vietnam—a rapidly growing market with distinctive consumer dynamics — up-to-date insights are key to maintaining relevance and capturing market share. 

This blog delves into how continuous data collection now becomes an operational advantage in today’s tourism industry. 

Adaptability to Rapid Market Changes

The modern travel landscape is characterized by rapid fluctuations driven by factors ranging from economic shifts to evolving traveler expectations. For instance, demand for travel in Vietnam is influenced by seasonal variations, emerging destinations, and even the growing impact of social media on travel decisions. Yet, adapting to these changes requires more than just awareness; it demands robust, continuous insights.

Monthly tracking data enables businesses to detect and respond to these shifts proactively. By monitoring travel demand trends among Vietnamese consumers, businesses can understand which destinations are trending, what types of trips are gaining popularity, and how spending patterns might evolve. For example, monthly insights into destination preferences reveal if travelers are increasingly seeking rural experiences over urban ones or if certain regions are seeing unexpected spikes in interest. Understanding these trends on a month-to-month basis allows businesses to tailor their marketing, adjust service offerings, and refine operational planning accordingly.

Beyond travel demand, continuous data also offers insights into booking windows and travel seasonality, helping businesses identify high-demand periods and plan their inventory and staffing levels to match. Data reflecting changes in traveler priorities—such as a renewed interest in wellness tourism or eco-friendly accommodations—empowers brands to adapt quickly to meet shifting preferences. In an environment where agility is critical, continuous travel data serves as a foundational pillar that enables brands to stay relevant and responsive.

Demand for travel in Vietnam is influenced by seasonal variations, emerging destinations, and even the growing impact of social media on travel decisions

Enhanced Brand Health and Marketing Insights

For travel brands, measuring brand health is as essential as tracking demand. Brand health data captures the perceptions, awareness, and loyalty levels among consumers, offering critical insights that fuel effective marketing strategies. 

The tourism sector is notably competitive, with a multitude of brands vying for consumer attention. Continuous data on brand health allows companies to see, in near real-time, how their campaigns are resonating and whether their messaging aligns with consumer expectations. Monthly tracking of marketing effectiveness metrics gives brands a clear picture of which campaigns are most effective in driving brand awareness, which channels yield the highest engagement, and where to adjust budget allocations.

The Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker provides monthly brand health measurements, which include awareness, recall, and perception metrics compared to competitors, enabling brands to gauge their standing in the minds of Vietnamese travelers.

With Vietnam’s fast-growing middle class and a notable shift in travel preferences post-pandemic, brand health has become a significant indicator of potential market capture. For example, as businesses invest in digital marketing and influencer partnerships, tracking shifts in brand perception monthly provides a way to fine-tune these initiatives. If data shows a positive correlation between digital campaigns and increased brand awareness, businesses can allocate more resources to these areas with confidence. Conversely, if brand perception stagnates or declines, it indicates the need to refine messaging or pivot strategies.

Additionally, continuous tracking supports competitive benchmarking. By assessing how a brand’s health compares to competitors on a regular basis, businesses can identify their strengths and address weaknesses before they impact market share. For instance, if Vietnamese travelers increasingly associate a competitor’s brand with premium experiences, a business may choose to enhance its luxury offerings or adjust its positioning to capture this lucrative segment. Continuous brand health monitoring thus becomes a vital tool for sustaining growth in a market where consumer loyalty is earned, not assumed.

Customization for Business-Specific Needs

Customization in research is crucial because travel trends can vary significantly based on demographics, regional differences, and even consumer psychographics. For instance, an airline looking to optimize its domestic routes may focus its add-on questions on preferred travel times, reasons for choosing specific routes, and travel expectations post-pandemic. Meanwhile, a hospitality group could inquire about travelers’ expectations around safety, sustainability, or in-room technology to better tailor their services to these preferences.

Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker’s Add-On Questions feature allows businesses to include specific queries that address unique challenges or capture nuanced insights. 

In the era of personalized experiences, having access to tailored data allows brands to create more relevant and effective strategies. Rather than relying on generalized data, businesses can use customized insights to understand how different consumer segments respond to specific offerings, from high-end services to budget-friendly travel packages. For instance, if a hotel chain learns through add-on questions that younger Vietnamese travelers prioritize eco-friendly initiatives, it could adjust its branding to emphasize sustainability practices, aligning itself more closely with this demographic’s values.

The ability to customize data collection ensures that insights remain relevant to a company’s specific goals and audience. In an industry where customer needs are diverse and multifaceted, having this level of flexibility enables businesses to capture actionable insights and maintain a competitive edge.

Conclusion

Continuous travel data collection is imperative. The ability to track travel demand, monitor brand health, and customize research allows businesses to stay attuned to consumer behavior and make data-driven decisions that maximize impact. By leveraging monthly insights, businesses can anticipate trends, enhance brand engagement, and deliver value to travelers in ways that resonate.

The summer of 2024 has seen a strong rebound in travel demand among Vietnamese consumers. According to Outbox’s Vietnam Travel-focused Omnibus Survey, 84.5% of respondents expressed their intention to travel during this season, reflecting a significant recovery in leisure activities post-pandemic. However, shifts in travel behavior, planning, and destination choices indicate that Vietnamese travelers are making more thoughtful decisions than in previous years.

Vietnamese travelers are making more thoughtful decisions

Travel Intentions and Planning Phases

Among those planning to travel, 51.8% have not made concrete arrangements, suggesting that many Vietnamese still weigh their options before committing to a trip. This could be due to uncertainties regarding financial considerations or final destination choices. Only 14.3% have fully arranged their trips, while 18.3% are partially prepared. This highlights the more cautious and deliberate nature of travel planning in the current environment, where flexibility is key.

The preference for coastal areas and major cities underscores a desire for relaxation and easy access to amenities.

Destination Choices and Travel Periods

Domestic destinations remain a priority for the majority of Vietnamese travelers, with 75.9% opting for domestic trips and only 24.1% planning to travel internationally. The preference for coastal areas and major cities underscores a desire for relaxation and easy access to amenities.

On the international front, Japan leads the list of preferred destinations, attracting 28.5% of respondents, followed by Korea (25.9%), Thailand (15.0%), China (11.4%), and Singapore (8.8%). The strong ties between these countries and Vietnam, as well as the availability of short-haul flights, make them appealing choices for overseas travel.

Short-trip vacations have gained popularity among Vietnamese travelers, with trip stays typically lasting 3-4 nights. In terms of budget, most Vietnamese travelers plan to spend 2-4 million VND per night for each trip.

Vietnamese travelers in the summer of 2024 exhibit diverse and evolving preferences, driven by a desire for both relaxation and autonomy. While self-planned trips remain the dominant choice, all-inclusive packages continue to cater to a significant segment of the market. As travel demand recovers, service providers will need to innovate and adapt to changing consumer behaviors, particularly by leveraging social media and video content to influence planning decisions.

The insights from Outbox’s Vietnam Travel Market Monthly Tracker offer valuable guidance for the tourism industry as it seeks to capitalize on renewed travel interest. By understanding the nuanced needs of different traveler demographics, businesses can better tailor their offerings and optimize customer engagement in the years ahead.