Beaches drive Vietnam’s domestic tourism boom

JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay resort is located at Bai Kem, in southern Phu Quoc. Photo: baodautu.vn

Traveloka on April 18 released the inaugural edition of the Traveloka SEA Index, a quarterly read on how the region actually travels, built entirely on the platform's own first-party booking and search data across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The report highlights the Southeast Asian traveller who is not simply travelling more, but travelling better: venturing further afield, staying longer, and channelling spend into richer experiences on the ground.

Vietnam’s most-booked destinations remain the familiar giants, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Danang. Yet booking growth tells a different story. The strongest momentum comes from Vietnam’s own islands and coastline, where beach destinations significantly outpaced the wider market. While outbound demand elsewhere in the region is increasingly flowing towards East Asia, Vietnam’s growth is being driven strongly by domestic travel

Traveloka highlights a homegrown coastal surge, with Phu Quoc bookings up 86 per cent on-year and Con Dao, Hoi An and Danang also among the strongest performers.

While Thailand and Indonesia cooled and Singapore poured its growth abroad, Vietnam’s domestic and international bookings grew in step, and the domestic market was led by beach destinations, particularly Phu Quoc, Con Dao, Hoi An and Danang.

The data points to leisure travel rather than routine trips, with beach destinations attracting larger-than-average groups of 1.87–1.97 travellers and attraction bookings rising alongside accommodation stays. Dalat was the notable exception, with demand cooling sharply despite strong growth across most other domestic destinations.

Phu Quoc’s combination of beaches, resorts and accessibility has made it Vietnam’s strongest domestic travel success story this quarter. Meanwhile, travellers are increasingly drawn to Con Dao’s quieter island experience and natural beauty. Hoi An continues to benefit from its blend of heritage, food culture and family-friendly travel appeal.

In addition, Danang’s momentum reflects a destination succeeding across accommodation, attractions and family travel at the same time. Vung Tau, the quick coastal escape from Ho Chi Minh City, completes an all-beach domestic table.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese searches for Bangkok grew 61 per cent on-year, compared with a 19 per cent rise in bookings, while the average stay increased from 3.2 to 3.6 nights. Interest, commitment and time on the ground are all moving the same way.

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