Vietnam

In 2025, Vietnam overtook China for the first time since 2000 as the largest source of long-term foreign arrivals to the Republic of Korea (RoK), recording 98,000 entrants compared to China’s 94,000 and the US's 23,000. According to the RoK Ministry of Data and Statistics, overall long-term foreign arrivals dropped to 428,000 last year, with employment remaining the primary reason for entry at 37.4% (160,000 arrivals), followed by education and training at 25.2%. The increase in Vietnamese arrivals was driven by study and seasonal work, alongside a declining ethnic Korean population in China

Klook’s APAC travel demand 2026 shows 95% of travellers across Asia Pacific did not cancel or postpone any trips during H1 2026. They surveyed 1,020 consumers across Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and India. The study found higher fuel prices and broader cost-of-living have influenced travel decisions, but have not significantly reduced demand. The study also found: 63% said travel costs, personal finances or the cost of living will decide their travel plans for the rest of 2026 Rather than reducing spending on activities, 25% of the travellers are cutting costs on flights and accommodations, while 19% are choosing destinations closer to their home country, Only 18% report they have reduced their travel budgets 47% of respondents are looking for discounts, promotional offers and travel bundles, with the highest recorded in the Philippines (59%), Malaysia (55%) and Indonesia (55%) 42% are booking earlier for better prices, especially in Vietnam (52%) and Indonesia (51%) 72% of respondents remain as confident or more confident about travelling in H2 2026 as they were at the beginning of 2026 23% of respondents will decide on a specific activity before selecting their travel destination 94% of respondents have used or are willing to use AI for travel planning, 57% have already used AI tools to find destinations or experiences, of which 36% proceeded to make a booking The top trusted source of information is customer reviews 58%, followed by recommendations from friends and family (49%), content creators (35%) and AI-generated suggestions (33%) 73% of travellers want to visit a secondary city to experience a local event, festival, or unique experience, with strong interest recorded in Thailand (86%), Vietnam (80%) and Malaysia (79%) 77% of travellers included a side trip of a lesser-known destination during their most recent holiday, and 34% said the detour was the most memorable part of their journey 63% of respondents said overcrowding at popular destinations increased their interest in exploring less-visited locations, with 20% actively avoiding tourism hotspots Klook data shows for Asia Pacific, the top destinations in Asia are Guangzhou, Beijing, Hanoi, HCMC, Danang, Busan, Sokcho, Jeonju. The top destinations for Europe are Italy, Switzerland and Germany, with an increase in interest in destinations such as Siena, Positano, Alpnach, Stadt Wehlen and Pogtei