Australians are heading to Vietnam in record numbers. New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show 45,630 Aussies came home from short trips to Vietnam in August 2026 — a 30% jump on the same month last year, and more than double the 22,180 who visited back in August 2019. No other destination is growing anywhere near that fast.
The broader picture: short-haul destinations are winning. Fiji grew 13.7% to 41,950 trips, Indonesia (Bali doing the heavy lifting) rose 11% to 178,830, and New Zealand ticked up 6.6% to 120,830 trips. China and India also posted modest gains.
The long-haul story is much softer. UK visits fell 14.3% to 57,950 — the second monthly decline in a row — with Middle East tensions and the cost of getting there likely factors. The United States, Thailand and Italy all slipped slightly too. The USA's numbers are striking over time: 84,600 Aussie returnees in August 2019 versus 49,600 now.
Overall, 986,250 Australians came home from overseas trips in the month, up 1.5% year-on-year and nearly 6% above pre-COVID levels. Indonesia was the single most popular destination, accounting for 18.1% of all resident returns, ahead of New Zealand and the UK. State-wise, the Northern Territory led outbound growth at 16.4%, while the ACT dropped 8.2%.
Inbound travel, meanwhile, is basically flat — 755,530 visitor arrivals, up just 0.3% on 2025 and still 4.3% below August 2019. New Zealand remains the biggest source of visitors, followed by China, which continues its post-pandemic recovery.
Why should travellers care? The data confirms what bargain-hunters already suspect: Vietnam is delivering. Direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, a favourable exchange rate, and everything from Hanoi street food to Ha Long Bay cruises make it arguably the best value in Asia right now. Expect airlines and tour operators to keep adding capacity, which tends to keep fares competitive. If you've been putting off a Vietnamese trip while eyeing Europe, the numbers suggest you'd be part of a very large (and sensible) crowd switching south.
