The Seventh Crown: Vietnam Named Asia’s Leading Destination 2025

Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards have earned their reputation as the “Oscars of the travel industry” through rigorous selection processes that combine expert evaluation with public participation. Winners emerge from votes cast by travel professionals and consumers worldwide, each vote weighted to ensure that expertise carries appropriate influence.

The 2025 Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony, held on October 13 at Hong Kong’s InterContinental Grand Stanford in collaboration with Hong Kong International Airport, assembled the region’s most significant figures in travel and hospitality. Against this backdrop of industry excellence, Vietnam’s multiple wins resonated with particular force.

The two national-level awards—Asia’s Leading Destination and Asia’s Leading Heritage Destination—represent the pinnacle of recognition, but they merely begin the story. Beneath them, a cascade of honours reveals the depth and breadth of Vietnam’s tourism offering.

The thousand-year capital claimed dual distinction as Asia’s Leading City Destination and Asia’s Leading City Break Destination. The recognition affirms what those who wander its thirty-six streets already know: that few cities balance tradition and modernity with such grace, that its incense-filled temples and French colonial villas, its bustling street food and quiet lakes, compose an urban experience unmatched in the region.

The southern metropolis demonstrated its metropolitan appeal across multiple categories. Ho Chi Minh City was named Asia’s Leading Festival and Event Destination and Asia’s Leading Business Travel Destination—the latter for the fourth consecutive year. Its Department of Tourism earned recognition as Asia’s Leading City Tourist Board for the third year running, testament to the strategic vision guiding the city’s development. Notably, Vung Tau, now administratively part of the city, received its first honour as Asia’s Leading Coastal City Break Destination, extending Ho Chi Minh City’s reach to the sea.

The lantern-lit ancient town that has captured hearts worldwide retained its status as Asia’s Leading Cultural City Destination. The recognition confirms what photographers and romantics have long asserted: that this UNESCO World Heritage site, with its Japanese bridges and Chinese assembly halls, its tailor shops and riverside cafes, offers cultural immersion that few destinations can match.

With its karst landscapes and temple-dotted valleys, Ninh Bình emerged as Asia’s Leading Emerging Tourist Destination 2025. The “Ha Long Bay on land” continues its ascent from provincial secret to international must-see, its growth carefully managed to preserve the qualities that justify attention.

Mộc Châu claimed Asia’s Leading Regional Natural Destination, its tea plantations and flower valleys, its cool highland air and ethnic minority villages, drawing travellers who seek beauty beyond the beaten path.

Already celebrated as UNESCO World Heritage, Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng added Asia’s Leading National Park 2025 to its collection. The “Kingdom of Caves,” with its hundreds of subterranean wonders including the world’s largest, continues to attract adventurers and conservationists alike. During the first nine months of 2025, the park welcomed 836,900 visitors, including more than 148,000 international travellers—an 18% increase over the previous year.

The Đồng Văn Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark was honoured as Asia’s Leading Regional Cultural Destination. Extending across more than 234,500 hectares, preserving geological layers dating back 500 million years, and sheltering 17 ethnic minority groups, the geopark offers what few destinations can: the opportunity to walk through deep time while observing living cultures.

Tam Chúc in Hà Nam received recognition as Asia’s Leading Cultural Tourist Destination, its temple complex and lake setting drawing pilgrims and cultural travellers.

Beyond destinations, the awards recognised the systems and services that transform places into experiences.

In aviation: Vietnam Airlines claimed Asia’s Leading Airline Brand, while its Lotusmiles loyalty program was named Asia’s Leading Loyalty Program. Vietjet Air received the Asia’s Leading Customer Experience award. Vietravel Airlines was honoured as Asia’s Leading Leisure Airline. Bamboo Airways claimed Asia’s Leading Regional Airline. Hải Âu Seaplane Airlines added Asia’s Leading Seaplane Operator to its accolades.

In tour operations: Vietravel continued its dominance as Asia’s Leading Tour Operator, a recognition of its role in introducing travellers to Vietnam’s wonders.

In aviation infrastructure: Vân Đồn International Airport, serving Quảng Ninh province and its crown jewel Hạ Long Bay, was named Asia’s Leading Regional Airport.

In hospitality: Sun Group earned recognition as Asia’s Leading Integrated Tourism Group and Asia’s Leading Tourism and Hotel Development Unit, with Sun World Bà Nà Hills and Mercure Danang French Village Bana Hills honoured in theme park and themed resort categories.

The recognition arrives at a moment of remarkable momentum. During the first nine months of 2025, Vietnam welcomed more than 15.4 million international visitors—a 21.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024. The growth rate positions Vietnam among the world’s fastest-recovering and fastest-growing destinations, its appeal undiminished by global challenges that have constrained travel elsewhere.

The source markets tell their own story of diversification. China, South Korea, and India lead the arrivals, but significant growth has emerged from Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Travellers are discovering not only the iconic destinations—Hạ Long Bay, Hội An, Sơn Đoòng Cave, Phú Quốc’s beaches—but also the thousands of traditional festivals, the ancient craft villages, the UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage, and the vibrant cuisine that together constitute Vietnam’s competitive advantage.

For the traveller considering Vietnam for their next journey, these awards serve as curation. The destinations honoured have been evaluated by experts and consumers alike, their quality confirmed through processes designed to identify excellence. A visit to Hanoi, to Hội An, to Phong Nha, to Đồng Văn carries the assurance that these places have been tested and found worthy.

For the industry, the recognition represents validation of strategy. Vietnam has pursued tourism development with intentionality—improving visa policies, investing in infrastructure, supporting sustainable practices, preserving heritage while accommodating growth. The World Travel Awards acknowledge not merely natural endowment but the human effort required to transform endowment into experience.

For the nation, the honours accumulate into something larger: a reputation that attracts investment, that encourages return visits, that positions Vietnam as a destination capable of competing with any in Asia. The seventh win as Asia’s Leading Destination is not merely a trophy but a signal—to travellers, to investors, to competitors—that Vietnam’s place among the region’s premier destinations is not accidental but earned.

The World Travel Awards ceremony honoured excellence across Asia and Oceania, and Vietnam’s achievements should be understood within this competitive landscape.

The Philippines Tourism Board was named Asia’s Leading Tourist Board, recognition of its success in promoting the archipelago’s islands and diverse experiences. Bali, Indonesia’s island paradise, claimed Asia’s Leading Wedding Destination. teamLab Planets TOKYO earned Asia’s Leading Tourist Attraction for its immersive art experience.

In Oceania, Australia secured Oceania’s Leading Destination, with Melbourne named Oceania’s Leading City Destination. The Wintjiri Wiru experience at Ayers Rock Resort in Uluṟu, combining indigenous storytelling with modern technology, was honoured as Oceania’s Leading Tourist Attraction.

In hospitality, The Oberoi, New Delhi claimed Asia’s Leading Hotel; Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort was named Asia’s Leading Resort; Marina Bay Sands retained its position as Singapore’s Leading Hotel. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts was recognised as Asia’s Leading Luxury Hotel Brand.

In aviation, AirAsia secured Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline; Royal Brunei Airlines won Asia’s Leading Cabin Crew; Hong Kong International Airport was named Asia’s Leading Airport.

Vietnam’s multiple wins against such competition underscore the strength of its tourism offering and the effectiveness of its promotional efforts.

The concurrent recognition as Asia’s Leading Heritage Destination—the third time Vietnam has claimed this title—merits particular attention. It acknowledges that Vietnam’s appeal extends beyond beaches and cities to the deep cultural inheritance that shapes every aspect of national life.

This heritage manifests in the temple complexes that dot the landscape from north to south. In the festivals that mark each season with colour and devotion. In the craft villages where techniques transmitted across centuries continue to produce objects of beauty and utility. In the cuisine that varies from region to region, each dish carrying history in its ingredients and preparation. In the living traditions of ethnic minorities whose ways of life have survived the pressures of modernity.

The heritage designation recognises not merely preservation but vitality. Vietnam’s heritage is not confined to museums; it breathes in daily life, accessible to travellers who approach with respect and curiosity.

Phạm Hồng Thái, director of the Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park Management Board, described the recognition as “a historic milestone” that elevates the park from “a little-known natural gem to a top-tier luxury ecotourism destination.” His observation applies more broadly: the World Travel Awards recognition opens opportunities for strategic investment, for development of high-end tourism products, for positioning Vietnam among the region’s most desirable destinations.

But the director also offered a note of caution that resonates across the industry: the award represents not an end but a beginning—”the start of a new chapter in the province’s commitment to sustainable tourism and heritage conservation.” This vision aligns with Vietnam’s tourism development strategy for 2025–2030, which identifies tourism as one of four economic pillars and emphasises sustainability as essential to long-term success.

What does this mean for you, the traveller considering Vietnam for your next journey? Simply this: the destinations that have received these awards have been tested against rigorous criteria and found exceptional. The heritage you will encounter is authentic, recognised by global authorities. The hospitality you will experience has been evaluated by those who understand what excellence requires. The experiences available to you—from cave exploration in Phong Nha to cultural immersion in Đồng Văn, from urban exploration in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to coastal relaxation in Vũng Tàu—represent the best that Asia offers.

The seventh crown has been placed upon Vietnam’s tourism industry. But crowns, ultimately, are symbols. What matters is what they symbolise: a country that welcomes with authenticity, that preserves while developing, that offers travellers not merely sights but experiences, not merely destinations but discoveries.