Travel companies in Nha Trang are scrambling for solutions, with some offering salaries of up to VND 30 million a month - equivalent to $1,100 - yet still unable to recruit enough qualified staff.

Russian-speaking guides working nonstop without days off

In May, the central streets of Nha Trang - including Nguyen Thien Thuat, Hung Vuong and Tran Quang Khai - have become increasingly crowded with tourists, especially visitors from Russia.

At the same time, Khanh Hoa’s tourism industry is struggling with an acute shortage of Russian-speaking tour guides during the peak travel season.

Nguyen Huong Thuy, Human Resources Manager at Anex Vietnam Trading and Tourism Co., Ltd. (Anex Vietnam) - a company with more than a decade of experience bringing Russian travelers to Vietnam - said the period from April to October is traditionally the peak season for Russian visitors, particularly in Nha Trang.

In Khanh Hoa, the number of Russian tourists has surged again since the middle of last year.

This summer, Anex Vietnam expects to welcome 183,270 visitors from Russia and CIS countries to Khanh Hoa, operating 222 flights per month from 19 cities, with a maximum capacity of 29,200 passengers monthly.

W-Du khach Nga 2.jpg

Russian tourists walk along Tran Phu Street near Nha Trang beach. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

W-Du khach Nga 3.jpg

As visitor numbers surge, travel companies are struggling to find Russian-speaking tour guides. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

Thuy described the rebound as an encouraging sign for tourism, but said businesses are facing a serious staffing crisis due to the shortage of Russian-speaking guides.

Out of Anex Vietnam’s 40 travel staff members, only 12 are internationally licensed Russian-speaking tour guides.

As a result, those guides have been working continuously without days off.

According to Thuy, the company is willing to pay up to $1,100 per month for internationally licensed Russian-speaking guides.

However, despite extensive recruitment efforts at universities in Khanh Hoa, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, qualified candidates remain extremely scarce.

“The shortage of Russian-speaking tour guides has made tour coordination increasingly difficult and is affecting service quality as visitor numbers continue to rise,” she said.

To cope with the situation, Anex Vietnam has temporarily assigned internationally licensed English-speaking guides as an emergency solution.

“We hope authorities will soon introduce measures to help businesses overcome these difficulties and further support the development of Khanh Hoa tourism,” she added.

Hoang Thi Phong Thu, Chairwoman of Pegas Misr Vietnam Travel (Pegas), said the growing influx of Russian tourists to Khanh Hoa has created major pressure on the local tourism workforce.

Since the beginning of the year, Pegas has brought around 63,090 visitors to Vietnam, with guests staying an average of 12 nights per person.

Yet the company is also desperately searching for internationally licensed Russian-speaking guides.

Businesses urge expansion of Russian language programs

W-Du khach Nga o Khanh Hoa 1.jpg

Russian tourists in Nha Trang. Photo: Xuan Ngoc

Thu said the main reason behind the shortage is that Russian is far less commonly studied than English, and very few students in Vietnam pursue formal Russian language education.

Although the company has searched for tour guides in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, the available workforce remains insufficient, forcing businesses to manage on their own.

As a temporary measure, the company has also been relying on English-speaking guides.

To address the issue in the long term, business leaders are urging Khanh Hoa authorities to adopt more flexible and sustainable solutions.

Specifically, they proposed opening additional Russian language departments at universities and colleges in the province.

They believe the move would not only help ease the shortage of tour guides but also create more job opportunities while meeting the rapidly growing demands of the tourism market.

Speaking to VietNamNet, Nguyen Long Bien, Vice Chairman of the Khanh Hoa Provincial People’s Committee, said the provincial government has instructed the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, along with relevant agencies, to implement coordinated solutions.

The province is focusing on support policies and expanding professional training programs to improve tourism workforce quality, especially for Russian-speaking tour guides.

According to Cung Quynh Anh, Deputy Director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the department will work with the Department of Home Affairs to organize foreign language training programs, including Russian, to meet business demand as international arrivals - particularly from Russia - are expected to continue rising sharply.

He also advised tourism businesses to allocate visitors appropriately based on the number of available guides while ensuring compliance with regulations governing the use of tour guides.

In 2025, Khanh Hoa welcomed more than 5.5 million international visitors, up 13.4% from 2024.

In the first four months of 2026 alone, the province recorded 1.4 million international arrivals, an increase of 33.8% year-on-year.

The Khanh Hoa Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued 2,451 tour guide licenses, including 1,538 international licenses and 913 domestic licenses.

Among them are 750 Chinese-speaking guides, 595 English-speaking guides, 83 Russian-speaking guides and 69 Korean-speaking guides.

Xuan Ngoc