Khanh Hoa: Vibrant summer tourism season

Khanh Hoa is in 2026 summer tourism season with strong attraction. Many hotels and resorts are experiencing high occupancy rates; the airport is bustling with passengers; and the beaches are crowded with tourists enjoying themselves and swimming. Not only is it a familiar beach resort destination, this year the province is also hosting a series of large-scale events, promising an explosive and memorable summer.

Tourist number rising

In early June, Nha Trang tourist pier was bustling with tourists lining up to board canoes and wooden boats to explore the clear blue bay. Not far away, long lines of tourists patiently waited to take the cable car to Hon Tre Island to enjoy VinWonders Nha Trang. At attractions such as the Po Nagar Cham Towers, Long Son Pagoda, etc., the number of visitors was always high. In the evening, the beaches along Tran Phu and Pham Van Dong roads in Nha Trang were packed with people swimming and strolling. As night falls, the smell of grilled seafood wafts through the sea breeze, and tourists relax, enjoying the food and sipping on a cold beer. Khanh Hoa is entering its summer tourist season with an unprecedentedly vibrant pace.

Currently, many resorts and hotels with prime locations in Nha Trang, Bai Dai, and Ninh Chu have been almost fully booked for the entire peak summer tourist season. Duong Vo – Marketing Director of Radisson Blu Resort Cam Ranh (Bai Dai area, Cam Lam commune) shared: “Radisson Blu Resort Cam Ranh has nearly 300 rooms. Guests have booked until the end of August 2026. In terms of guest structure, Russian tourists account for about 40%, Korean tourists account for 30%, and the rest are Vietnamese and tourists from other countries.” Similarly, resorts such as The Anam Cam Ranh, Ana Mandara Cam Ranh… are fully booked this summer. In the Nha Trang area, hotels with prime locations such as Sheraton Nha Trang, Novotel, Adamas Boutique Nha Trang… were almost fully booked well in advance.

In the southern part of the province, the number of tourists increased sharply this summer. Destinations such as Vinh Hy Bay, Ninh Chu Beach, Nam Cuong sand dunes, and the Po Klong Garai Tower National Special Monument… attracted many tourists, especially on weekends. Currently, this area has 237 tourist accommodation establishments with 4,804 rooms; of which about 50% meet 3-star standards or higher. Many hotels and resorts in the Vinh Hy and Phan Rang areas were almost fully booked during the peak season; many guests called to book rooms but there were no rooms available.

Data from booking.com shows that the trend in searching for summer 2026 travel is clearly shifting towards familiar, convenient, and easy-to-plan destinations. Travelers are no longer chasing novelty but prioritize trips that suit their personal preferences, allow them to relax, recharge, and minimize unexpected expenses. In the list of destinations most searched for by Vietnamese travelers this summer, Da Nang and Nha Trang – Khanh Hoa top the list. Khanh Hoa boasts many outstanding advantages such as: beautiful coastal and island landscapes; a comprehensive resort system; Cam Ranh International Airport; and a highway connecting it conveniently to Ho Chi Minh City. Sharing her reasons for choosing Nha Trang for her summer vacation, a tourist named Nguyen Thi Minh Chau (from Ho Chi Minh City) said: “From Ho Chi Minh City to Khanh Hoa by highway only takes about 5 hours. Here, the entertainment and recreational services are quite diverse, in addition to beach and island tours, there are VinWonders Nha Trang, eco-tourism tours, and cultural Cham sites…”. For international tourists, Khanh Hoa’s appeal comes from the quality of its resort services and diverse and rich cuisine. “Khanh Hoa is a very peaceful resort destination. The scenery and weather are beautiful, the cuisine is very diverse, and the people are very friendly,” shared Park Seung-ho (a Korean tourist) on his third visit to Nha Trang.

Attractive destination for summer

The expanded space has made Khanh Hoa tourism even more attractive. Besides tours and attractions in Nha Trang and the surrounding area, many travel agencies have added tours for Korean and Russian tourists to experience southern destinations such as Hang Rai (Nui Chua World Biosphere Reserve) and Po Klong Garai Tower. According to a report by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in the first five months of 2026, Khanh Hoa welcomed approximately 9.2 million visitors (an increase of nearly 53% compared to the same period last year), including 4.4 million overnight visitors. International visitors are estimated at over 3.8 million, an increase of 66%. These figures show that the attractiveness of Khanh Hoa as a destination continues to be strong, despite the high cost of air travel.

To further boost tourism growth, in the summer of 2026, Khanh Hoa will organize many large-scale cultural, artistic, and sporting events such as: the Mega Booming Charmora City music festival; the 6th Cham Ethnic Culture Festival with the theme “Preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Cham ethnic group in the new era”; the Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2026 with the theme “Colors of the Ocean – Reaching international level”; and the Miss World pageant; the VnExpress Marathon Nha Trang 2026… This diverse series of events is expected to attract a large number of domestic and international tourists to Khanh Hoa. “Immediately after the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the summer events, many tourists contacted us to book rooms and register for tours. In Khanh Hoa, tourists not only get to relax but also have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the vibrant festival atmosphere. This is one of the reasons why more and more people are choosing Khanh Hoa as their summer destination,” said Bui Thi Mach, Director of Maha Travel Co., Ltd.

This summer, tourism businesses in Khanh Hoa are offering many attractive products and services to enhance the tourist experience. VinWonders Nha Trang continues to maintain its favourite shows: Tata Show (an international-class multimedia live performance); Legend of the Blue Sea – the first live show on the sea in Vietnam, etc. Do Theater regularly hosts spectacular shows such as: “Dream Puppetry” – an enchanting puppet show combining traditional music; and “Chum Show” – a breathtaking circus and acrobatic performance inspired by Vietnamese folk culture. These are unique cultural experiences that tourists should not miss.

Besides beach resort tourism, businesses are actively developing tourism products linked to local culture, community tourism, and green tourism. From beach and island tourism to ecotourism and cultural tourism, Khanh Hoa offers many quality products to meet the diverse needs of tourists.

Cung Quynh Anh – Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism shared: “Besides convenience, tourists today increasingly value the experience, sustainability, and connection in each journey. With a diverse ecosystem of products ranging from beaches, islands, green resorts to local culture, cuisine, and modern entertainment, Khanh Hoa has the ability to comprehensively meet those needs.”

With strong growth momentum, increasingly improved tourism infrastructure, and a series of special events taking place during the summer, Khanh Hoa tourism is aiming for a vibrant peak season, contributing to achieving the goal of welcoming 18.8 million tourists and generating 77,000 billion VND in revenue in 2026.

According to information from Cam Ranh International Airport, although fuel prices have increased, the number of passengers traveling by air to Khanh Hoa remains quite stable. Regarding international tourists, the number of South Korean and Chinese visitors has decreased, but the number of Russian and CIS visitors has increased significantly. Currently, there are 10 to 12 flights daily from Russia and CIS countries to Cam Ranh. The South Korean market accounts for 14 flights per day, while the Chinese market has approximately 4 flights per day.

To meet tourist demand, during this summer (June to August), airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, and Bamboo Airways plan to bring a large number of domestic tourists to Khanh Hoa. Specifically, Vietnam Airlines will provide approximately 3,074 domestic flights with over 575,000 seats to serve tourists visiting Khanh Hoa.

Xuan Thanh

Translated by T.T