HANOI, October 5. /TASS/. Around 1.1 mln Russians visited Vietnam in the first nine months of 2026, making Russia the country’s largest European tourism market, according to data from the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.

China accounted for the largest number of visitors to Vietnam from January through October, at 3.9 mln, or 22.4% of the country’s foreign tourist arrivals in 2026. China was followed by South Korea with 3 mln tourists, or 17.3% of the total. Russia ranked third.

The Vietnam National Authority of Tourism previously noted that the number of visitors from Russia had risen by more than 165% this year, giving the country the highest growth rate among Vietnam’s major international tourism markets.

Overall, Vietnam welcomed more than 17.7 mln international tourists in the first nine months of the year, up 14.5% from the same period last year.

In late September, Russia and Vietnam signed a memorandum expanding opportunities for their air carriers to increase the number of flights. Under the agreements, Russian and Vietnamese airlines will each be able to operate 105 flights per week. Currently, four Russian airlines operate flights to Vietnam on 11 routes at a frequency of 39 flights per week, while two Vietnamese airlines operate 13 routes at a frequency of 31 flights per week.