The charming island of Phu Quoc off the coast of Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam witnessed an astonishing surge in international tourist arrivals during the 2025 Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, with a 47-percent increase in visitors compared to the same period last year.

Within five days, from January 27 to 31, of the nine-day Tet break, Phu Quoc International Airport received 194 international flights with 33,170 foreign passengers aboard, up 64 percent and 47 percent year on year, respectively, the airport’s immigration police chief Bui The Duong told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Thursday.

This surge is most evident among travelers from Kyrgyzstan, which saw an astounding 1,129-percent increase in arrivals.

Last year, only 180 tourists from the Central Asian nation visited Phu Quoc during Tet. That figure jumped to 2,032 in 2025.

Other key markets also reported strong growth, with Thailand increasing 536 percent, Uzbekistan 384 percent, Kazakhstan 351 percent, and China 259 percent.

Travelers from South Korea, Mongolia, Malaysia, and Russia also surged over 150 percent.

The police chief attributed this remarkable growth to Vietnam’s visa-free policy for Phu Quoc, allowing international visitors to stay for up to 30 days without a visa.

This policy, combined with improved tourism infrastructure, upgraded accommodations, and favorable weather, makes Phu Quoc an attractive winter escape for tourists from colder climates, especially Europe and Central Asia, Duong explained.

Despite the surge in international arrivals, Phu Quoc International Airport operates with less than 50 immigration officers and only two automated entry checkpoints.

To accommodate the influx, half of the officers worked throughout Tet, ensuring smooth immigration processing.

The average processing time per traveler was recorded at 34 seconds, despite the heavy workload.

The boom in Phu Quoc is part of a broader national tourism surge, driven by favorable visa policies and strong tourism promotions, which contributed to an overall 30-percent rise in international arrivals nationwide, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism

Popular destinations nationwide also served approximately 12.5 million domestic tourist arrivals during the holiday, marking a 19-percent increase from last year.

Furthermore, the number of provinces and cities earning over VND1 trillion (US$39.4 million) in tourism revenue jumped to eight in 2025 from three in 2024, with Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Quang Ninh, Lao Cai, and Ninh Binh joining Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang on the list of top-earning destinations.

With this momentum, Vietnam’s tourism industry is aiming to attract 22-23 million foreign visitors and 120-130 million domestic travelers in 2025, contributing 6-8 percent of GDP and generating VND1,000 trillion ($39.4 billion) in revenue.

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