The Philippines and Vietnam have agreed to strengthen tourism cooperation and increase visitor arrivals between the two countries through a new tourism partnership signed during Vietnamese President Tô Lâm’s state visit to Manila.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco and Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh signed the Tourism Cooperation Program for 2026-2029 at Malacañang Palace on Monday.

Under the agreement, both countries committed to enhancing tourism exchanges, promoting travel between their destinations and developing joint marketing initiatives to increase tourist traffic.

Among the initiatives being explored is a joint promotional package that would market the Philippines and Vietnam as a single travel destination. The program also includes familiarization tours for media practitioners, tour operators and travel agents to boost awareness of tourism products and destinations in both countries.

The cooperation covers travel facilitation, tourism management, research and development, human resource training, and joint promotion and marketing efforts.

The two countries also agreed to exchange best practices on sustainable and regenerative tourism, as well as tourism product development.

“On people-to-people ties, we commend the finalization of the Tourism Cooperation Program for 2026-2029. Building upon a strong performance in 2025, which saw nearly half a million Filipino travelers going to Viet Nam and a rising number of Vietnamese tourists coming to our shores, we have agreed to work closely to enhance air connectivity and increase commercial flight frequencies,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said during a joint press conference with President Tô Lâm.

The tourism cooperation program stems from the tourism agreement signed between the Philippines and Vietnam in Hanoi on 28 March 1994 and will remain in effect until 31 December 2029.

In 2025, Vietnam ranked as the Philippines' 23rd largest source of foreign visitors, accounting for 33,599 arrivals, or 0.57 percent of total tourist arrivals.

Vietnam Airlines currently operates direct flights between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila and Cebu, offering a combined weekly seat capacity of 2,608 seats.