{
  "$schema": "https://schema.org/Dataset",
  "name": "Vietnam Overtourism Index 2026",
  "description": "A tourists-per-resident ranking of 14 major Vietnamese destinations — Cat Ba, Sa Pa, Hoi An, Phu Quoc, Ha Long, Da Nang, Ninh Binh, Nha Trang, Mui Ne, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Giang, Hue and Hanoi — dividing each place's most recent annual visitor total by its resident population, with visitor-geography matched to population-geography, per-row sources and pressure notes. Cat Ba (about 195) and Hoi An (about 37) top the ranking; Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City sit under 5 despite the largest raw volumes.",
  "publisher": "Day Trips Vietnam",
  "publisher_url": "https://daytripsvietnam.com",
  "source_url": "https://daytripsvietnam.com/guides/vietnam-overtourism-index-2026/",
  "methodology_url": "https://daytripsvietnam.com/guides/vietnam-overtourism-index-2026/#methodology",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0",
  "license_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "temporal_coverage": "2023-2024",
  "spatial_coverage": "Cat Ba, Sa Pa, Hoi An, Phu Quoc, Ha Long, Da Nang, Ninh Binh, Nha Trang, Mui Ne/Phan Thiet, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Giang, Hue, Hanoi (Vietnam)",
  "updated": "2026-08-21",
  "version": "2026.1",
  "suggested_citation": "Day Trips Vietnam, \"Vietnam Overtourism Index 2026\" (August 2026), https://daytripsvietnam.com/guides/vietnam-overtourism-index-2026/",
  "headline": {
    "most_pressured_overall": "Cat Ba Island, about 195 visitors per resident (2024) — a small island whose count is inflated by day-trippers and Lan Ha Bay cruise pass-through",
    "most_pressured_resident_city": "Hoi An, about 37 visitors per resident (4.4 million visitors against roughly 120,000 residents, 2024) — the cleanest large-destination match and the marquee case",
    "least_pressured": "Hanoi, about 3.2 visitors per resident (27.86 million visitors against 8.69 million residents, 2024)",
    "most_tourists_overall": "Ho Chi Minh City, about 44.1 million visitors in 2024, yet a low ratio near 4.6 — evidence that the ratio is not raw volume",
    "cap_responses": "Ha Long Bay is capped at 38,000 visitors per day (down from 45,000 pre-pandemic); Cu Lao Cham (the Cham Islands off Hoi An) is capped at 3,000 per day",
    "destinations_ranked": 14,
    "note": "Ratios use 2024 annual visitor totals (Ha Giang anchored to 2023) and 2024 Intercensal Census populations where available, both on pre-July-2025 administrative boundaries."
  },
  "methodology": {
    "collection_window": "2026-07",
    "ratio_definition": "tourists_per_resident = annual_visitors / resident_population, using the most recent credible annual visitor total and a resident-population figure covering the same geographic unit.",
    "visitor_figures": "Annual visitor/arrival totals (domestic plus international) from provincial or city tourism departments and reputable Vietnamese news, for 2024 where available; Ha Giang is anchored to 2023 because no clean 2024 province total was published in English. Counts are arrivals rather than unique people and include day-trippers.",
    "population_figures": "Resident populations from Vietnam's 2024 Intercensal Census (General Statistics Office) where available, otherwise the 2019, 2021 or 2022 census. The geographic unit is stated per row.",
    "geography_matching": "City-level visitor totals are matched to city populations, province-level totals to province populations, and island totals to island populations. Where a province total is dominated by one tourist town (Nha Trang, Da Lat, Mui Ne, Hue), the row is matched province-to-province and the concentration is flagged in the note rather than computed against the small town population.",
    "administrative_boundaries": "All figures use pre-July-2025 boundaries. Vietnam merged many provinces and cities in mid-2025; both the 2024 visitor data and the 2024 census populations predate that reorganisation, so they align.",
    "rounding": "Ratios of 10 or more are rounded to the nearest whole number; ratios under 10 to one decimal.",
    "notes": [
      "Ratios are annual visitor arrivals per resident, not simultaneous crowding. A seasonal beach province concentrates its ratio into a few months, so peak-day pressure is higher than the annual figure suggests.",
      "Cat Ba and Sa Pa rest on small or dispersed resident bases with heavy pass-through traffic, so they are the noisiest rows and are best read as upper bounds.",
      "Confidence: high = 2024 official figures with matched geography; medium = an older anchor, a derived share, or a small or dispersed denominator."
    ]
  },
  "destinations": [
    {
      "destination": "Cat Ba Island",
      "annual_visitors": 3700000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 18934,
      "population_year": "2021 census",
      "geography": "island / island",
      "tourists_per_resident": 195,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "note": "Highest and noisiest ratio in the index. The visitor total is dominated by day-trippers and Lan Ha Bay cruise passengers passing through a tiny island; the resident figure is the 2021 census for Cat Ba island (roughly 13,000 on land plus floating fishing communities). Treat as an upper bound.",
      "source": "Vietnam.vn / Hai Phong tourism (2024 visitors); Wikipedia, 2021 census (population)",
      "source_url": "https://www.vietnam.vn/en/quan-dao-cat-ba-danh-thang-viet-nam-vuon-tam-quoc-te"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Sa Pa",
      "annual_visitors": 2700000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 70663,
      "population_year": "2022",
      "geography": "town (thi xa) / town",
      "tourists_per_resident": 38,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "note": "The thi xa Sa Pa town-level unit spreads roughly 70,000 residents across 685 square kilometres of mostly rural ethnic-minority communes, while tourism concentrates in the small town centre, so on-the-ground pressure runs hotter than this ratio. Reported 2024 totals range from about 2.7 to 3.8 million.",
      "source": "Sapa Tourism statistics (visitors); Wikipedia, 2022 (population)",
      "source_url": "https://sapa-tourism.com/statistic-figures/"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Hoi An",
      "annual_visitors": 4400000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 120000,
      "population_year": "2022 census",
      "geography": "city / city",
      "tourists_per_resident": 37,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "The marquee case and the cleanest large-destination match: a compact UNESCO town of about 120,000 residents took roughly 4.4 million visitors in 2024. The Ancient Town is ticketed, and the offshore Cu Lao Cham (Cham Islands) is capped at 3,000 visitors per day to protect its biosphere reserve.",
      "source": "Hoi An Creative City / city tourism (2024 visitors); 2022 census (population)",
      "source_url": "https://hoiancreativecity.com/en/hoi-an-tourism-industry-in-2024"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Phu Quoc",
      "annual_visitors": 5900000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 180000,
      "population_year": "2024 estimate",
      "geography": "island city / island city",
      "tourists_per_resident": 33,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "Vietnam's first island city took about 5.9 million visitors in 2024, including roughly 963,000 international. The resident base is growing fast with construction and service migration, so the denominator is uncertain (about 150,000 to 180,000); a lower figure pushes the ratio toward 40.",
      "source": "VietnamPlus (2024 visitors and revenue); VietnamNet (island-city population)",
      "source_url": "https://en.vietnamplus.vn/phu-quocs-tourism-revenue-exceeds-2117-trillion-vnd-this-year-post307078.vnp"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Ha Long City",
      "annual_visitors": 6800000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 322000,
      "population_year": "2019",
      "geography": "city / city",
      "tourists_per_resident": 21,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "note": "City visitors matched to city residents. The population is mid-2019, before the early-2020 merger with Hoanh Bo district enlarged the city, so the current denominator is higher and the true ratio nearer 18 to 19. Ha Long Bay itself is capped at 38,000 visitors per day, down from 45,000 before the pandemic.",
      "source": "Vietnam.vn (Ha Long city 6.8 million); Quang Ninh carrying-capacity assessment (cap)",
      "source_url": "https://www.vietnam.vn/en/tp-ha-long-don-hon-68-trieu-luot-du-khach/"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Da Nang",
      "annual_visitors": 10900000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 1253000,
      "population_year": "2024",
      "geography": "city / city",
      "tourists_per_resident": 8.7,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "Clean city-to-city match. The Da Nang Department of Tourism reported about 10.9 million visitors in 2024, of which roughly 4.1 million were international. Population is the 2024 pre-merger city.",
      "source": "Da Nang Department of Tourism (2024, via Travel And Tour World); GSO / MacroTrends (2024 population)",
      "source_url": "https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/da-nang-vietnam-new-aims-to-attract-11-9-million-tourists-by-2025-with-world-class-events-and-natural-wonders/"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Ninh Binh",
      "annual_visitors": 8700000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 1027030,
      "population_year": "2024 Intercensal Census",
      "geography": "province / province",
      "tourists_per_resident": 8.5,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "Province visitors matched to province residents. Tourism concentrates at the Trang An landscape complex and Tam Coc, so pressure at those sites exceeds the province ratio. Includes about 1.5 million international visitors in 2024. Pre-2025-merger province.",
      "source": "Ninh Binh tourism / Bao Ninh Binh (2024); GSO 2024 Intercensal Census",
      "source_url": "https://en.baoninhbinh.org.vn/ninh-binh-emerges-as-attractive-destination-for-visitors-260105203033586.html"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa province)",
      "annual_visitors": 10800000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 1267443,
      "population_year": "2024 Intercensal Census",
      "geography": "province / province",
      "tourists_per_resident": 8.5,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "The figures are province-wide (Khanh Hoa) matched to province population, but almost all of the tourism concentrates in Nha Trang city (roughly 420,000 residents), where the effective ratio is far higher. Included about 4.7 million international arrivals in 2024, over half of them Korean. Pre-2025-merger province.",
      "source": "VietnamPlus / Bao Khanh Hoa (2024); GSO 2024 Intercensal Census",
      "source_url": "https://news.baokhanhhoa.vn/tourism/202501/upradingtourism-of-nha-trang-khanh-hoa-continuously-4786361/"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Mui Ne / Phan Thiet (Binh Thuan province)",
      "annual_visitors": 9600000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 1266240,
      "population_year": "2024 Intercensal Census",
      "geography": "province / province",
      "tourists_per_resident": 7.6,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "Province-wide visitors matched to province population; the tourism concentrates on the Mui Ne and Phan Thiet coast. Overwhelmingly domestic — only about 320,000 of the 9.6 million were foreign in 2024. Pre-2025-merger province.",
      "source": "Binh Thuan provincial portal (2024); GSO 2024 Intercensal Census",
      "source_url": "https://en.binhthuan.gov.vn/general-news/binh-thuan-tourism-welcomed-over-9-6-million-visitors-in-2024-902712"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Da Lat (Lam Dong province)",
      "annual_visitors": 10000000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 1361129,
      "population_year": "2024 Intercensal Census",
      "geography": "province / province",
      "tourists_per_resident": 7.3,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "Province-wide visitors matched to province population; Da Lat city (about 250,000 residents) absorbs the bulk, so its local ratio is far higher. About 600,000 international visitors in 2024. Pre-2025-merger province.",
      "source": "Vietnam News (Lam Dong 10-millionth tourist, 2024); GSO 2024 Intercensal Census",
      "source_url": "https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/1689937/lam-dong-welcomes-10-millionth-tourists-in-2024.html"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Ho Chi Minh City",
      "annual_visitors": 44100000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 9568000,
      "population_year": "2024",
      "geography": "city / city",
      "tourists_per_resident": 4.6,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "The most tourists of any Vietnamese destination — about 38 million domestic plus 6.1 million international in 2024 — yet a low ratio, because roughly 9.6 million residents absorb them. The clearest illustration in the index that ratio is not the same as raw volume. Pre-2025-merger city.",
      "source": "Nhan Dan / VNA (HCMC 2024); Statista (2024 population)",
      "source_url": "https://vnanet.vn/en/anh/vna-photos-1027/ho-chi-minh-city-attracts-6-million-international-visitors-in-2024-7787382.html"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Ha Giang province",
      "annual_visitors": 3100000,
      "visitors_year": 2023,
      "resident_population": 908263,
      "population_year": "2024 Intercensal Census",
      "geography": "province / province",
      "tourists_per_resident": 3.4,
      "confidence": "medium",
      "note": "Anchored to 2023 (more than 3 million, including about 282,000 international); a clean 2024 province total was not published in English. The Ha Giang Loop funnels backpackers onto a single 350 km mountain circuit, so trail-town pressure exceeds this province ratio. Pre-2025-merger province.",
      "source": "VietnamPlus (Ha Giang 2023); GSO 2024 Intercensal Census",
      "source_url": "https://en.vietnamplus.vn/ha-giang-optimises-cultural-resource-for-tourism-development-post276007.vnp"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Hue (Thua Thien Hue province)",
      "annual_visitors": 3900000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 1177624,
      "population_year": "2024 Intercensal Census",
      "geography": "province / province",
      "tourists_per_resident": 3.3,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "Province-wide visitors (provincial reports for 2024 range from about 3.7 to 3.9 million, including roughly 1.4 million international) matched to province population; the flow concentrates in Hue city and the imperial monuments. Pre-2025-merger province.",
      "source": "Bao Chinh Phu (Hue 2024); GSO 2024 Intercensal Census",
      "source_url": "https://en.baochinhphu.vn/thua-thien-hue-welcomes-37-million-tourists-11133645.htm"
    },
    {
      "destination": "Hanoi",
      "annual_visitors": 27860000,
      "visitors_year": 2024,
      "resident_population": 8685607,
      "population_year": "2024 Intercensal Census",
      "geography": "city / city",
      "tourists_per_resident": 3.2,
      "confidence": "high",
      "note": "Clean city-to-city match: 27.86 million total visitors (6.35 million international) in 2024 against 8.69 million residents — a vast tourism economy but a low per-resident ratio, because the capital is large. Pre-2025-merger city.",
      "source": "VietnamPlus (Hanoi 2024); GSO 2024 Intercensal Census",
      "source_url": "https://en.vietnamplus.vn/hanois-tourism-in-2024-flies-beyond-expectations-post306404.vnp"
    }
  ]
}