The report released by the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on December 25 showed that of the total 17.3 million visitors, 7.6 million were international visitors, an increase of 25 percent year on year, while 9.7 million were domestic visitors, up 8 percent. Revenue from accommodation, food services and travel reached VND60 trillion, up more than 21 percent compared with 2024.

Notably, compared with 2019, considered the “peak year” for Da Nang tourism with more than 8.6 million visitors and revenue of nearly VND31 trillion, the scale of the city’s tourism sector has far surpassed the pre-pandemic period.

In 2025, the city welcomed more than 48,000 flights, including over 20,200 international flights. Cruise tourism recorded more than 43,000 passengers from 36 cruise ships, while rail and inland waterway transport continued to maintain stable growth.

Travel services were strictly managed, with the city currently being home to 707 travel businesses and more than 6,800 licensed tour guides. Da Nang implemented a range of stimulus and market promotion programs, focusing on high-value segments such as MICE tourism, golf, beach resorts, and source markets in the Middle East and CIS countries (the Commonwealth of Independent States such as Kazakhstan and Russia).

Promotion activities were intensified through a series of events, fairs and tourism promotion programs both domestically and internationally. In 2025, Da Nang maintained 26 regular air routes, including 18 international routes, while opening and restoring key routes such as Osaka (Japan), Yangon (Myanmar) and Dubai-Da Nang. The image of “Da Nang, a safe, friendly and high-quality destination” continued to be widely promoted.

Truong Thi Hong Hanh, director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said tourism remains a bright spot for the city, maintaining its role as a key economic sector with double-digit growth and making an important contribution to socio-economic development.

However, she pointed out challenges that need to be addressed. The recent administrative merger between Da Nang and Quang Nam province has resulted in some policies still not being implemented in a unified manner, creating difficulties in management, administration and task execution.

In addition, the slow development of new tourism products has reduced destination competitiveness. Key tourism projects expected to serve as growth drivers have yet to be completed, despite strong efforts to resolve obstacles. 

Water-based entertainment activities and inland waterway tourism also remain underdeveloped in comparison with potential.

Aiming for bigger goals

Da Nang has identified green, sustainable and high-quality tourism as a development orientation. The city targets 19.1 million overnight visitors, including 8.7 million international arrivals, with tourism revenue expected to reach nearly VND70 trillion in 2026.

In the coming period, the city will focus on new tourism products, improving service quality and human resources, accelerating digital transformation, strengthening regional and international linkages, and gradually building Da Nang into a high-quality tourism, events and services hub of Southeast Asia.

In 2026, the city plans to organize more than 50 large-scale events and festivals, including a folk music and arts festival, a lantern festival, the Da Nang Food Tour Festival (March), Da Nang Culture, Sports and Tourism Day in Tam Ky (April), the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival (May to July), the Asia International Film Festival (July), the Ngoc Linh ginseng and international herbal medicine festival (August 1–3), and HorecFex 2026 – a technology and innovation forum for the hospitality industry.

To achieve these targets, Vice Chair of the Da Nang People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Anh Thi called on the city’s culture, sports and tourism sector to focus on implementing major resolutions and strategies on cultural development, building and adjusting sectoral plans in line with the city’s overall master plan, and effectively organizing major events.

Da Nang’s tourism industry is also being required to intensify promotion and marketing efforts to attract high-spending visitors with longer stays, particularly from key markets such as Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, India, Australia and Europe, while expanding potential markets including India, the Middle East and the US. 

The city will promote the restoration and launch of air routes from potential international markets such as Nagoya, New Delhi, Mumbai, Australia and Indonesia, along with long-term charter flights connecting Central Asia and Russia.

Ho Giap